I Didn't Do It!
by Terasa
Summary: The sequel to Ashley Did It! What will happen to Andrea, Ashley, and Kharl; will Haldir survive Helms Deep, and will Andrea be able to resist the Ring's power- more importantly, will Kharl finally shoot Leggy? "You know, she may ramble most of the time, but every now and again your daughter spouts out something intelligent." Co-written by Secretly-A-Fangirl. Haldir/OC, Aragorn/OC
1. A Long Journey Started

~Andrea's PoV~

_Gray clouds cover the sun, blocking its warmth as Ashley and I run into battle; shouts reach my ears, but I force myself to block them out the best I can. Kharl runs to join us, cutting down any enemy that gets in his way. Familiar faces blur: Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas…._

_Elves blend in with men; Orcs together with Urak-Hai charge at us still. I use fire to help my friends and allies in vanquishing the enemies that surround us, but the battle, it seems, will never draw to a close…._

I jerk awake, shuddering at the shared vision. _I thought my ring was supposed to control these things!_I snort at Sam, who is currently sprawled out on the cave floor and snoring. At least some things will never change.

I close my eyes and lie back down; the burning eye suddenly appears causing me to jump again, hitting my head on the cave ceiling. _Ow! If only I was Hobbit-sized, then accidents like those wouldn't happen! Sam's lucky in that aspect. I wonder what Aragorn's doing. What I wouldn't give for a pizza, or chocolate…yeah, chocolate in the place of the pizza!_

After convincing Sam to do it, we begin our descent from the cave using his Elvish rope. _Hey, Ashley?_

_Si, oh annoying one?_

_Will you tell Aragorn I love him, please?_

_Sorry, I'm stuck with the Orcs, Uruk-Hai, Merry, Pippin, and Kharl. _I roll my eyes. That figures.

"Can you see the bottom," Sam asks after fifteen minutes.

"Not yet, now stop looking down!" _I-spy something annoying._

_Is Gandalf there; I thought he died? _Yes, this is how Ashley and I have been passing thee time; sad isn't it? Yeah, I know. Sam almost falls, yelling. A small box falls out of his pack and comes hurling down at me.

"Catch it, catch it Andrea!" Before I had a chance to react, the box hits me in the face, making me lose my grip out of shock and begin to fall. _Oh no, I don't want to die this way! I'm too young!_ I hit solid ground, the air knocked out of me. _Huh? _I pat my body down, laughing breathlessly when I find no injuries. "I'm alive, it's a miracle! SAM, YOU'RE DEAD!" When he reaches the ground I tackle him, smacking him on the back of the head. "Consider yourself lucky I feel merciful, it's rare." He nods; there's a scared yet relieved glint in his eyes. "Oh, by the way, I found the bottom." We both laugh, looking around at our rocky and mountainous surroundings. I hold up the box of doom that caused my fall in the palm of my hand. "What's in this?"

"Just a bit of seasoning," he shrugs," I thought we could use it if we ate some roast chicken." I laugh again, dropping the box into his hand.

"I would love me some roast chicken, Sammy, but I don't think we'll be getting it anytime soon."

"You never know." I just smile in amusement and walk over to the silver rope.

"We can't leave this here, someone might follow us down." I touch the Ring through the material of my shirt, already feeling the effects.

"Who's gonna follow us down here? Lady Galadriel gave me that, but my knots are untieable." I don't have the heart to tell him 'untieable' isn't a real word or that someone_ is_ following us. He tugs on the rope to prove his point only to have it come free and land at our feet.

I pat his shoulder gently. "Well, at least you get to keep it." He looks at the bit of it he holds in his child-sized hand, probably thinking about what would've happened if it had come free while we were descending the mountain side. Oh, that would not have been a pretty thing to see!

~Half an hour later~

We finally reach the top of another steep mountain-hill-thing and we're able to see Mordor, the gray clouds seeming to flash with fire over the top of the enormous volcano. It's still too far away for my liking, I want to get this over with so I can get back to Aragorn!

"Mordor," Sam sighs," the one place we have to get to that makes most grown men run in terror. Admit it, Miss Andrea, we're lost."

"Believe me, if I could I'd ask for directions and a map...and some chocolate!" I look over at the volcano again and I'm overcome by images of the burning eye, causing me to stumble and fall on my butt. Ugh, why did Ashley have to break Frodo? We could have made him do the whole journey and then break him when he got back!

"Miss Andrea?" I ignore him, focusing on getting my breathing back to normal. "It's the ring." I nod slowly, hating to admit the weakness.

"It feels heavier, like it's a freakin' tractor tire instead of a metal circle." I clutch at it through the material of my shirt to see if it's still the normal size of rings, it is surprisingly. My left leg begins to throb painfully as my old ACL injury comes back to haunt me. Ha, and to think it was all better, that's what I get for thinking doctor-y thoughts!

"What food do we have," I ask after taking a drink of water. Dang you, Sam for making me think of roast chicken, or even better, my lemon chicken! I can feel my mouth begin to water in anticipation to find out what we can dine on tonight...right now.

"Lembas bread," he answers," lots and lots of it." He breaks me off a piece and throws it to me before taking a piece for himself. By this point I'd be willing to eat grass just for a different taste! "You know, this foreign stuff is pretty good."

"Is there anything that can put a damper on that cheery mood of yours?"

"Uh, not that I know of, no." I chuckle at that very true fact, thinking of Ashley and her short attention span. It's probably driving the Orcs and everyone else crazy! After we finish eating we begin to walk again, keeping a close eye on the heavy clouds.

Not long after we start walking again we have to scramble to find shelter from the rain. Thankfully we find a deep ravine and the cloaks the Human Light bulb (Galadriel) gave us are warm enough to keep us from getting Hypothermia or the flu. I look up just in time to see Gollum glaring down at us. I'm gonna wring his bloody neck!

Many hours and a starring contest later sleep overwhelms me. I dream of riding a dragon over a beautiful countryside through clear skies. When I wake up it's no longer raining, but it is foggy as heck. Sam and I once again begin to climb over the mountainous landscape.

We climb until nightfall, then we begin to make camp. _Andi, Gollum will attack you tonight,_ Ashley thinks to me.

_How do you know?_

_It's weird, but I think it was another one of those memory dreams and I wrote it in the dirt so I could remember to tell you._

_Great, thanks for the warning._

"Ambush," I whisper to Sam," Gollum's going to attack tonight and we're going to trick him into thinking we're asleep."

"How do you know?"

"Ashley gave me a warning."

"Oh, okay." Wait, he'll question me, but not Ashley? That's just wrong! We finish setting up camp and eat some bread before going to 'sleep.'

"...And we wants it," Gollum growls. I open my eyes and lunge at him with Sam right behind me. Together we pull him off of the boulder he was standing on and struggle to hold him still. I'm thrown to the hard, rocky ground, the ring showing in plain sight.

Gollum throws Sam on the other side of him, sees the ring, and goes for it. I keep a tight hold on his wrists so he can't get the ring. He's smaller than me, I realize, he's the size of a Hobbit! I move forward, tackling him to the ground and holding him there by sitting on his stomach with his hands pinned above his nearly hairless head.

"Hold still or I'll run you through!" Gollum's struggles increase until I put the tip of my sword under his chin. "Sam, bind his wrists with the Elvish rope, then tie him to a rock. On second thought, maybe I should do it." Sam hands me the rope and helps hold Gollum down while I tie him up. Instead of his wrists I tie the rope around his neck like a collar, I then tie him very securely to a big rock. He won't be getting away anytime soon by golly!

~The next day~

Gollum's tortured screams fill the air as Sam pulls him along. The few teeth the used-to-be-Hobbit has plainly showing. It's really disgusting!

"It burns us and freezes, the nasty Elves-"

"SHUT UP," I exclaim," or I'll just tie you to a rock and leave you!"

"No, that would kill us," he exclaims.

"Does it look like I care?" I heave a sigh, running a hand through my knotted blonde hair. "I'll make a deal, we'll untie you if you help get us to Mordor safely." Gollum nods helplessly, pulling at the rope.

"There's a good boy." I untie the rope and help him to stand. "Now, do you swear on the precious, I mean the ring?"

"Yes, we swears, we swears!"

"I don't believe you," Sam yells, running forward. I grab him before he can do Gollum any harm. "If we let him go, he'll throttle us while we sleep!"

"We'll bind him at night and let him leads us in the daytime, simple as that." After a short break we set off again, following Gollum. When we finally catch completely up to him I can make out only one thing of what he's been rambling," Watching!" He sees us and lets out a growl before sprinting away.

Sam and I reach a hypothetical fork in the road when we stop, unsure which way Gollum had gone. "What did I tell you," Sam says angrily," he's gone and run off!" Gollum pops up on a rock ledge.

"This way Hobbitses!" I'm not a dang hobbit, I'm a grown ass woman! Stupid, hunched over, Igor look alike! Sam and I share a look, following Gollum once more.


	2. Captured Coconuts

~Ashley's PoV~

Is it possible to have motion sickness on land? Well, I have it! My hands are bound by rope and I'm stuck riding piggy back on a Uruk-Hai I've named Bob. Bob isn't a very nice creature, you see, he hit me yesterday and I'm only just now beginning to come to.

I had just enough time to warn Andi and Sam about Gollum's attack before I was knocked unconscious again. Why, you ask. It's like this, I started to sing; I'm not a horrible singer, but I'm not great either. Now the band of Uruk-Hai are jogging quickly through what appears to be grasslands with bounlders everywhere.

I can feel warm blood trickling down the side of my head, coming dangerously close to my mouth; fortunately it bi-passes it and goes down my neck which is still disgusting. The lead Uruk-Hai, I named him Chuck, holds up a fist and the group come to a halt. Orcs step out from behind a few boulders, commenting to Chuck that we're late. The only reply I can come up with in my drowsy state is _bite me, bitch! _

Thankfully I didn't say it out loud. My attention is drawn to a worried Pippin and an unconscious Merry. Kharl and I share a look, easily catching on to Merry's plan and begin to whisper quietly to each other about world domination plans.

"Please," Pipppin begs," my friend needs water!" Chuck makes his way over to us, a demented smile on his mangled face.

"What are you waiting for, give him some medicine," he commannds, laughing. A Uruk-Hai pours a thick brown liquid down Merry's throat, causing him to cough. The Uruk-Hai around us break into laughter.

"Leave him alone," Pippin shouts. Ah no, I need to teach him when it's a good idea to stay quiet.

"You want some," Chuck asks," then keep your mouth shut." That did it! I pull my arms back as hard as I can while I bring my knees up and push against Bob's back, pushing him forward into the rope. Another Uruk-Hai picks me up and throws me to the ground, kicking my stomach.

I stagger to my feet, levitating the Uruk-Hai that kicked me high in the air.

"Touch me again and I'll make sure you're tortured, talk to or hurt the Hobbits and you die, is that clear?" The thing growls. "That goes for all of you," I snarl," especially you, Big Bad and Ugly!" Bob grabs me from behind, making me lose my concentration and drop the monster on its butt.

Chuck, ignoring my very epic speech, sniffs the air, looking around us.

"What do you smell," asks Bob.

"Man-flesh." I smile to myself, looking around.

"Ada," I whisper. A small smile appears on my ashen face, looking over at Kharl, I can see a spark of hope in his dark green eyes. My father will come, and he will kick some monster ass!

"They've picked up our trail...Let's move," Chuck roars. And we're off again for who know's how long. Yay. The Orcs that our group just met follow closely behind us. You know, this kind of reminds me of the scene from The Lion King when Zazu has to sing to Scar. I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts...

**There ya have it, the chapter in Ashley's PoV! R&R 'cause they make me want to update sooner!**


	3. Uplifting Spirits and Hope Returned

~Andrea's PoV~

"C'mon, Sammy, I know you like to sing," I smile. We're taking a break so that I can regain some strength; Smeagol is tied up like a Christmas present and he's not getting away any time soon. "Let's try it again." I get a small smile from the Hobbit before we begin.

"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, yes on everybody's nerves! I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves! Oh, and this is how it goes: I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, yes on everybody's nerves! I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves! Oh, and this is how it goes: I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, yes on everybody's nerves! I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves..."

~Fifteen Minutes Later!

"... I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, yes on everybody's nerves! I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves!" Alright, that's enough for one night, now it's time for sleep.

"Sam," I say breathlessly," I think I'll sleep for a while." He nods, some of his blonde curls bouncing slightly. "Don't wear yourself out, please." Again he nods.

"Yes, Miss Andrea."

"And Sam." He looks over at me. "Just call me Andi or Andrea." This makes him chuckle, a sound I've been missing.

"Alright, Andi." My blue eyes shut and I'm overwhelmed by my dreams.

_"You cannot escape your fate." I turn at the voice, finding an old man in white robes. "You and everyone you care about are doomed, cursed to a pitiless death. The age of men is over, you have lost." _

_His eyes are cold and filled with madness as he turns away from me, revealing a mirror that has Ashley in it. I race forward to look into it, fearing the worse. My friend has a deep wound on the side of her head, bleeding slowly; her skin is ashen and her breathing looks shallow._

_Kharl is on the back of the Urak-Hai beside the one she is on, looking worried and tired. The fire in his eyes has dimmed to naught but a mere spark. He doesn't struggle for fear of them hurting Ashley or one of the two Hobbits. I look at the old man again, my features set in determination._

_"You may be right in saying I've lost, but I am not one who gives up easily. My course will not falter, and I __**will **__destroy this ring if it's the last thing I do!"_

My eyes shoot open, breathing ragged. I feel as though I've just ran a mile without stopping! Smeagol stares at me and I cannot tell if it's with understanding or if he's just waiting for the right moment to strike. The ring is taking it's toll, but like I told Saruman, I don't plan on giving up even if it means I lose my life in the process.

**Dang, two chapters in one day! I'd say I'm getting good at this updating stuff! This chapter was written by Ashley 'cause she was bored so R&R!**


	4. Lost in the Dark

~Ashley's PoV~

The Hobbits, Kharl, and I are thrown to the ground, the breath leaving my lungs. O-da-lalli, everything hurts and I'm pretty sure my toes are either missing or numb from cold! Heh, O-da-lalli, o-da-lalli, golly what a day; I love that song! Strange sounds are coming from the dark forrest nearby.

Kharl and I share a long look, both getting a sense of evil, and just maybe slight hope, coming from the heart of the forrest. It could be our way to escape this army of monsters and reach Ada. Pippin crawls over to Merry, Kharl, and me; all of our hands are still bound with the coarse ropes.

"I think leaving the Shire was a bad idea, Pip," Merry says, sounding weak. I let out a breathless laugh.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto." Kharl chuckles at this, nodding his head and saying:

"You might just be right, Dorothy." Night falls quicker and quicker everyday the closer we come to Saruman and his screwed up Master.

"What's making that noise," Pippin asks, fear evident in his small voice. Some Orcs are cutting down trees for a fire and the trees are complaining with low groans of disaproval. Well, that's a new one.

"It's the trees," Merry informs us. "do you remember that Folks used to think there was water in the Old Forrest that made the trees come alive?"

"Alive?"

"It made them have the ability to talk to each other, even _move_!" All this is told in whispered voices so as not to let the Orcs and Uruk-Hai overhear us. Afterall, the trees could be an advantage for us...Or kill us.

"I'm hungry," a Uruk-Hai growls,"we ain't had nothing but old bread for days!" Orcs nod in agreement.

"Yeah, why can't we have some meats?!" That's right, idiots, fight amongst yourselves and give us the moment of distraction we've been waiting for! The Orc that spoke looks over at us. "What about them?" My dark eyes widen and I begin to squirm.

"They're not on the menu," Chuck says, looking as threatening as usual. A Uruk-Hai stands us up and moves us away from the hungry mob. The next few minutes happen in a blur; an Orc is decapitated, the surviving Orcs attack the Uruk-Hais, and then the two Hobbits, Kharl, and I are on the run towards the Forrest of Doom.

I barely clear the first few trees when I hear the unmistakeable sound of a horse behind me, then...Everything is black...

**Ada means father in Elvish in case you're wondering.**


	5. Dark and Dizzying Thoughts

~Andrea's PoV~

This shortcut doesn't seem very dang short! What I wouldn't give for some chocolate; I'd sell Sam for some at this point! Okay, so maybe I won't 'cause Ash would kill me when she found out. Oh well, back to the usual method of entertainment.

"I-spy something gray." Sam looks around us for a minute.

"A rock." My lips purse.

"Yeah, but which rock. That's the real mystery!" Sam lets out a groan, rolling his hazel eyes. I think I'm getting on his nerves...Nah, that can't be it! Suddenly, everything begins to spin, forcing me to stop and hold onto a boulder. The earth's been spinning a lot here lately and it bugs me.

It stops, but not too long afterwards Sam begins to talk to me and it sounds as though he's a million miles away. Shaking my head I can catch the last part of his words. "...and the grass is so green and the Shire, you'd love it!" He's talking of home, at least he still has a chance of going home; I don't even know how to get back to my world.

Anger and jealousy consume for a moment, but I quickly hide the emotions from the innocent Hobbit. It's not his fault I'm in this situation, it's Ashley's. It's always Ashley's fault, she probably cursed the DVD or something! I bet Kharl taught her how; it was some kind of Wiccan magic he practiced!

The next time I see them I'll run them through with my sword! I shake my head again, the dark thought vanishing. That was weird, I've never had thoughts that dark about my friends before.

"Are you alright, Andi?" I sigh, nodding my head and beginning to walk again, following Smeagol's obvious trail. "You don't look so good, maybe we should stop for a little while."

"Sammy, I'm fine, but if you want a break then we'll stop." He looks uncertain, as if he could sense my growing aggitation. I'm good at hiding most of my emotions, only a certain few people can tell I'm upset; Sam's one of them, I guess. "Smeagol, get back here and sit like a good minion!"

...This is gonna be a long and tiring journey...

**Alright, most of Andrea's chapters will be fillers because it takes so long to get back to her in the movie; Kharl is actually a Wiccan and I know they don't do anything dark, but I needed something for Andrea to focus on and since she's Christian she doesn't know much 'bout Wiccans. As always, R&R!**


	6. Doomed with a Horse

~Ashley's PoV~

Have I mentioned how much horses bugged me? I woke up on a horse, my hands still bound and I'm still on a horse; the only difference is that my hands are rope free, but my mouth has a cloth in it to keep me from speaking. These Rohan horse guys are pretty strict about the quiet game!

"Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark," calls a very familiar and welcome voice from behind us. It's Ada, he found me! The Rohan people turn and circle my father, Leggy, and the Dwarf, not one of them getting off their high horse (he, he, another pun). The head guy, Eomer, adresses the three of them.

"What business of the Riddermark concerns a man, and Elf, and a Dwarf?" Woah, can you say impoli(**1**)? Sheesh!

"Give me your name, Horse master, and I shall give you mine," Gimli says in his usual defiant manner. I like him a whole lot more now.

"If you were a bit taller, _Dwarf_, I would have your head as a trophy." Not a second later I could hear Legolas threatening Eomer. He and Gimli must be pretty good friends now.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Glóin and Legolas of the Woodland Realm. We are friends of Rohan and of Théoden, your king. We were wondering if you've seen two Hobbits, a man, and a woman." No response. "They were being held by a band of Uruk-Hai."

"We killed all the Uruk-Hai we've found, but we managed to save a woman; loud, talktive, and by talktive I mean she never shuts up."

"That sounds like the lass we're looking for," Gimli quipps. Hey, I'm not that bad! "But what of the man and Hobbits?"

"Probably dead. Hallen, bring the woman forward." A strong man leads my horse forward towards the center of the circle, once there I can see a most welcome sight: Ada. Aragorn rushes over to me and lifts me off the horse, holding me close to him. I instantly spit the cloth out and glare over Ada's shoulder at Eomer.

"I've missed you, Ada," I say, hugging his tightly.

"Hasufel! Arod," Eomer calls, whistling right afterwards. Two horses trot over to us and I immeadiatly back away from them and behind Aragorn. Horses have always scared me, they're too big to like. "I hope these horses do you well, goodbye." The Rohirrim people gallop away.

"Are you alright, Iel(**2**)?" I nod, looking away from the large horses. I have no idea _why_ I hate them, I just do. "You've always hated horses ever since one of them stole your apple." Ah-ha, proof horses are evil beasts!

"That explains everything now." Leggy has a smirk on his face, electric blue eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree. Alright, time to get my mojo back and annoy the Elf-boy!

"Wipe that smirk off your face, Vana Lai Asea(**3**), and let's get goin'." Gimli snorts at Leggy's newest nickname but shuts up the moment my eyes land on him. "Something funny, Bubblebutt?" Oh yes, it's good to be back!

"Alright, that's enough, Larien(**4**)," Ada says, hand on my shoulder. What did he just call me? Aragorn sees the 'duh' look on my face and gets a small smile. "It was your name, it means Ashley." Hmm, that's pretty cool. "Let's get going and see if we can find our friends." Leggy and Bubblebutt get on Arod, and Aragorn and I get on Hasulfel.

We ride quickly over the plains towards smoke, I soon realize that I was there last night when I see the creepy forrest. I just know that one of those trees is gonna rip me to pieces! I cover my knows as I'm overwhelmed by the stench of burning flesh; made worse by the Orcs and Uruk-Hais natural stench.

"Lass, do you know if they escaped," Gimli asks me. His eyes are filled with worry, mirroring my own dark ones. I shrug, looking around me.

"I remember being thrown to the ground, threatened by a starving Orc, and running towards the forrest. I didn't get far, though, because one of Eomer's guys conked me on the head and knocked me out." Leggy nods, looking at my father, who's on his kneess trying to find any trace of the others.

Gimli picks something out of the smoldering pile with a sad expression. "It's one of their wee belts." Tears fill me eyes, but I blink them back; Kharl wouldn't want me to cry so I will not disappoint him. Leggy bows his head.

"Hiro hyn hîdh ab 'wanath(**5**)." Ada lets out an anguished cry, head in his hands. I turn away from them all, unable to stand it any longer. This isn't right, they cannot be dead while I still live! I can feel a migraine beginning to throb in my temples, I've had stress migraines since I was sixteen.

"Larien!" I turn at my father's shout and see they're at the very edge of the Forrest of Doom. Why the _hell_ would they be there? "Come, we have found a trail showing the Hobbits, and Kharl have come this way!" I sprint over to them, stopping beside Ada.

"So, two Hobbits are stuck in the Forrest of Doom with Kharl, a crazy man with guns...Well, it could be worse, I suppose." I smile at the others. "Man, being the Optimist sucks. They're all dooooomed!" Doomed, I tell you!

**1-"Rude" in French**

**2-"Daughter" in Elvish**

**3-"Fair-haired Green Leaf" in Elvish**

**4-I did it on a name generator**

**5-"May they find peace in death" in Elvish, of course.**

**I'll admit, I'm a major pessimist so expect that. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!R&R!**

**~Ashley**


	7. A Wizard in White

~Kharl's PoV~

Pippin, Merry, and I collapse on the soft ground, looking around us for the Orc hunting us. Gasping, I pull out one of my pistols, taking it off safety and cocking it so that I can kill anything dangerous, not realizing I'm out of bullets.

"I think we lost him," Pipppin breathes, beginning to calm down. I never allow my tensed muscles to relax, having learned that lesson from previous "hunting" trips. I turn my head in the direction of rustling; footsteps too heavy for anything but an Orc to make.

"Quietly, get up and-" the Orc bursts through the underbrush. "Run!" The three of us start to sprint again, hiding behind a large tree when we had a chance. I keep a hand over each of the Hobbits mouths, muffling the sound of their gasping.

"Come here," the Orc roars, growing angier. I look at Merry and point one of my fingers at a tree a bit away from us, then point upwards. He nods, grabs Pippin's arm, and they try to run as quickly and quietly as they can; I'm right behind them and making sure we're not followed.

"I'm gonna regret this," I mumble to myself, turning to face the Orc persuing us. Taking a deep breath, I start running towards the Orc. "Ash will kill me if I die at the hands of this creep!" I go to jump at the Orc, but I'm picked up by something and the Orc is stepped on. "Holy shit, Nature's attacking...I swear I didn't piss in the river two weeks ago!"

"Well, that's good, I guess," Pippin quipps. I look up and see Pip hanging tightly to the tree that's hold us. The tree, I know there's a name for it 'cause Ashley talks non-stop about stuff like this, graps Pip in it's free hand; Merry and I are sharing a hand. Ent, that's what this mother humper's called!

The Ent begins to walk, his hands squeezing into fists as he rants about Orcs and their dirty tricks. That's when it dawns on me: he thinks we're Orcs here to cause harm to him and the forrest!

"We're Hobbits," Merry shouts desperately," _Hobbits, _our friend here is a man!"

"Never heard of a Hobbit," the Ent says, slowly as if he talked too fast or too loud his words would be swept away by the wind. "Maybe you are, though, either way, the White Wizard will know."

Worridly, Pippin turns his head to face Merry and I, whispering," White Wizard?" We all could think of only one person with that title: Saruman. The Ent, Treebeard, lets go of us, allowing us to fall and land on leaf-covered ground at the feet of the White Wizard...

**Yep, that's a Kharl PoV; something Andi and I find hard to write, and yes, he cusses that much if not more and worse! R&R, they make our little trio happy!**


	8. A Long Journey Indeed

**~Andrea's Point of View~**

Sam and I follow closely behind Gollum through a narrow pass. This is taking more out of me than it normally would—the Ring feeling as though it is a dang truck, and a big one at that! Gollum half turns to face us," We must hurry, Hobbitses!"

"For the last time," I growl," I am no Hobbit and I'm not afraid to throw you!" What little sun that manages to peak through the dark clouds is enough to make me sweat—bringing back disturbing memories of my High School basketball practices and the sweaty guys there—something that makes me irritable. I clutch the Ring through my shirt, letting out a small whimper of annoyance and exhaustion. Think of something cold, ignore the heat—

"Hurry, Hobbitses!" 'Knock the rest of Gollum's teeth out' that one's going on my Doom List! The dizzying feeling comes back to me, causing me to stumble, then I succumb to the darkness.

"Hey, ho, to the bottle I go; to heal my heart and drown my woe!" I open my eyes upon hearing Ashley's and Kharl's surprisingly good singing. "Rain may fall and wind may blow, but there still beee many miles to go." The song is familiar and catchy—soon I find myself singing along.

"Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain, and the stream that falls from hill to plain. Better than rain or rippling brook…." Our trio trails off until Ashley remembers the rest of the song. Bits and pieces of the movies are starting to come back to me the closer I get to Mordor—the flashbacks happen when I sleep; when I'm not having nightmares, that is.

"Is a mug of beer inside this Took!" None of us notice Elf-boy falling near us, an annoyed look on his fair face.

"Down at an English fair, one evening I was there when I heard a showman shouting underneath the flair: I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts—there they are a-standin' in a row, big ones, small ones, some as big as your head! Give it a twist, a flick of the wrist, that's what the showman said!

My friends and I laugh together for what seems like the first time in years. You never know how much you miss someone until you're not around them for a while, not to sound clichéd, but it's surprisingly true! Ashley and Kharl both have the annoying ability of being able to make even the most depressed person laugh….It's very annoying!

"Where are we goin' now," I ask, arms crossed  
>over my chest. Legolas sends a glare in Ashley's direction.<p>

"Yes, Fairy, where are we going?" Elf-boy's gonna be sorry later for calling her that! I gave it to her when she went through a brief Twilight phase and she hates it. Before she could come up with an insult our falling speeds up and we land on the deck of a ship. Ouch, my poor everything hurts! Chandler, Carl, and Terasa stand in front of us, looking a little shocked.

"Whatever you do, nobody blink," Chandler shouts. Honestly, does Ash try to confuse me on purpose? Where the heck are we?

"Still not Mount Doom," said annoyance frowns, hands on her hips. "Hi Chandler." A goofy half-smile appears on her face. At this angle I can see that the wound on her head is no longer bleeding, that's good.

"Hey," Chandler, Terasa, and Carl say in unison. The man Chandler called Squishy walks over, groaning when he sees Kharl, Ashley, and I; yeah, can't say I blame him.

"How did they get here," he asks, pointing at my little...whatever the four of us are.

"We blinked," Terasa says simply, playing with a match. Aww, I want one! She hands a match to Chandler, which Squishy quickly takes. "I thought you were going to get my future husband." Leggy begins to slowly edge away from all of us, that's when I notice the drool on my clone's chin. And to think we were so alike, how could she betray me so? Chandler then proceeds to Gibbs slap Terasa, something I'm thankful for! That's when I decide to zone out, none of this is going to help me get rid of this good-for-nothing Ring!

"...Ashley and Andrea act just like that." My head snaps up and, out of instinct, Ashley and I shout," Oh, shut up!" Yep, those are some good instincts! The next thing I know, I'm behind Sam once again—apparently having walked behind him the entire time I thought I was elsewhere. Weird. Those Elves must have spiked my Lembas bread and it's making me have hallucinations...

It's twilight now, I notice as I look up at the sky. Jeez, I'm so confused right now! Dang you Ashley and your mental—blondeness! Sam's accusing and tired voice break through my dark thoughts.

"He's lead us into a swamp!" Wow, not the sharpest crown in the chandelier! Hey, that could be my new catch phrase! Heh, heh, I'm good. Hmm, now what was Sam saying—holy crap, we're in a freaking swamp! Knowing my luck I'll be eaten by a dang Crocodile!

"A swamp, yes—come, Mistress! We'll take you on safe paths through the mist," Gollum says, a strange gleam in his wide eyes, one that makes the little trust I have of him waver. Gollum continues making his way along some path that only he could see, something that worries me greatly.

Soon it grows too dark to see my hand in front of my face, so I call Gollum back to Sam and I. "Time to make camp guys." Sam looks relieved, not yet used to so much physical labor. I sit on the spongy ground, wincing as I begin to rub my throbbing leg. Dang ACL, dang flat surfaces, dang everything! Gollum looks around us nervously, shaking his head. "Calm down, Gollum, don't get your loin cloth in knot." The Hobbit looks confused and stares down at the simple cloth that he wears.

"In a knot?" Now I see why Ash thinks he's a little adorable—he's innocent for the most part, I guess. I nod, offering him a small smile.

"Yeah, it's a saying from where I'm from." Sam looks curious now as he looks up from the fire he's attempting to start. "I know, it sounds really stupid, but it's pretty common….Though, it's usually underwear 'stead of loin cloth." Gollum and Sam share a look, a rare thing to happen since the two can't stand each other.

"Can we hear some more," Sam asks, looking truly interested. I shrug my shoulders, my smile becoming larger. This reminds me of when Ash and I went to her grandma's house at lunch and played with her little cousins.

"Sure." I purse my lips, trying to think of another odd saying. "A watched pot never boils, don't beat around the bush, bite the bullet, kick the bucket, and my new favorite, once I get this Ring destroyed I'll be happier than a witch in a broom factory." The second the Ring is mentioned the unnerving gleam I saw before enters Gollum's eyes once more. "Alright guys, let's get some sleep."

_I'm standing in front of the old man again; he looks crazier than he did before. This time there's no mirror—just Saruman, a scroll on a desk, and myself. That looks a lot like the scroll Elrond showed Ashley and me on our first day in Rivendell, right down to a faded design on the back! The old man notices my gaze and picks up the scroll._

"_Would you like to look at it?" His voice is deep, sounding kind of like the_ _Jabberwocky from_ _Alice and Wonderland_._ I narrow my eyes suspiciously, looking between the scroll and Saruman. I have no reason whatsoever to trust this man. "I assure you, it's the same one Lord Elrond read to you and your friend."_

"_If it was the same one, it wouldn't be in your hands." My blue eyes show traces of the fire I keep locked inside, begging to be used. Saruman sends me an evil grin, dark eyes holding the same gleam that Gollum's do every now and again. "You don't deny that it is a fake?"_

"_Oh, I assure you, it's a fake, but it's the same fake that you saw in Rivendell." This confuses me, causing me to falter slightly. "Lord Elrond himself wrote this, sure, he got a few of the details correct, but most of it was completely inaccurate."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"You were all lied to, Ashley, Kharl, and yourself." At my confused look, he decides to launch into a long story. "You were born to Orodreth and Itarillë, a cousin to Arwen Undomiel—your name was Luthien." My eyes widen with shock when I realize he's telling the truth. "You can control fire, yes, but you'll always share dreams with Ashley—just as Kharl will. Only you can heal people, Ashley cannot; though, she can write things to make them happen."_

My eyes open slowly, making sure I'm no longer in that tower my dreams seem to revolve around now. This is getting more complicated the further I go!

**~The Next Day~**

Sam hands me some Lembas bread before getting some for himself. Will this day ever end? I feel more drained when I wake up instead of rested—it doesn't help that I have the dumbest song ever released stuck in my head. Stupid Justin Beiber! Gollum must share my feeling because he punches the ground. Yeah, I wanna do that too right about now.

"We are famished," Gollum half whines, half yells," famished we are, Precious!" I grip my stomach as a bout of nausea rolls over me—all because Gollum ate a dang worm. To try and keep him from eating something worse than a worm (like Sam or me for example) I throw him a piece of the spiked elf-bread. Maybe it'll knock 'im out!

"Here, now stop eating the Creepy Crawlies." Gollum turns quickly to see what I threw at him, probably hoping it was some kind of meat.

"Is it tasty?" Shrugging, I begin rubbing my left knee again—it's becoming habit now, just like it was back in high school. He slowly picks it up and puts it in his mouth. Almost instantly he spits it out again, flopping back on the ground. Good, maybe he'll die. Wait that would mean Sam and I will probably die and I really don't want that! Should I poke him with a stick? I look around me and grab a cattail, using it to smack Gollum across the face. Well, that felt good! Gollum's eyes widen and he begins to crawl.

"Starve, then," Sam yells, fed up with Gollum's antics. If we didn't need the creature I'd throw him in the water. Gollum crawls towards Sam.

"Oh, cruel Hobbit; it does not care if we be hungry, does not care if we should die." Damn straight, as soon as this nightmare is over with I'll personally hand Gollum over to Kharl to do with as he pleases. Gollum turns to face me, eyes growing wide and innocent. "Not like mistress, she cares about us; tries to feed us..she knows." I catch Gollum's gaze, seeing the gleam in his eyes again and I cover the rind with my hand; Gollum mimicking me. "It will never let us go." Gollum reaches towards me to touch the ring, but I smack his hand away. Once again, this is going to be a long journey.

Sam and I follow Gollum through the marshes; around us is soggy land, mist-covered water, and small flames burning on the surface of the water. Sam stops, his dirty face turning pale as he shouts," There are dead things in the water!" I look down to where he's pointing and am met with the pallid face of an elf, still in its armor.

"All dead," Gollum nods," all rotten. Elves and Men and Orcses; a great battle long ago." He turns to face Sam and I," Dead Marshes, yes, that is their name." He gestures for us to follow him again. "Don't follow the lights." Sam takes a step forward and slips. "Careful, or Hobbits go down and join the dead ones and light little candles of their own." The two Hobbits continue down the trail, but I look down at the dead elf once more. He looks so peaceful lying there.

"Andrea!" Sam's voice is muffled, sounding as though it is a thousand miles away, but the peaceful sleep that the elf is in seems so welcoming. I'm tired, I just want to rest...so dead elf's eyes snap open, surprising me before I fall forward into the water. Panicking, I begin to struggle to get away from the dead to no avail. Suddenly, I'm pulled out of the water and back onto the soggy land. I cough up water, gasping for breath and still able to feel the dead's decaying hands grabbing me even though I am no longer under the water.

"Gollum," I say breathlessly.

"Don't follow the lights," he growls, crawling away. Sam helps me to my feet, asking if I was okay.

"I've been better, but at least I'm alive." I continue to stare after Gollum in shock and gratitude. He saved my life when he could've just let me drown and taken the ring for himself.

**~That Night~**

I lay on my side, stroking the ring in the center of my palm. Such a small thing yet it causes so much trouble...so much death. Will I be able to throw it into Mount Doom when the time comes or will I turn into something like Gollum? This question has been haunting me recently, the closer we get the more insistent the question becomes. I grip the ring tightly when I hear Gollum's mumbling. Stuffing it in my shirt, I turn over and look at Gollum.

"Our precious."

"What did you say," I ask, feeling possessive of the ring. Gollum slowly turns to face me, looking lost in his own world.

"Mistress should be resting; she needs to keep up her strength." I stand up and walk over to him, stopping only when I'm right behind him. "Sméagol," I ask quietly, not quite realizing he had forgotten his real name years ago and the only reason he responded to it earlier was because he was listening to my voice not necessarily my words. He slowly looks up at me—his expression one of surprise and wonder. "That's your name isn't it?"

"My name…" A large smile appears on his face," My name…Sméagol." He looks so happy that I can't help but to smile with him. An ear-piercing cry ruins our happy mood, causing Sam to snap awake, Sméagol to stay close to the ground, and me to look for the creature it came from.

"Black Riders," Sam exclaims, looking both shocked and terrified. Sméagol races to find a place to hide, but I stay put—grasping the Ring tightly as I fight the urge to put it on. Sammy pulls me after him towards where Sméagol is hiding under a small tree.

"Quick," Sméagol says in a frightened voice," they will see us! They will see us!" I drop to my knees beside them, eyes closed as I fight the Ring's tempting power.

"I thought they were dead!"

"Dead? No, you cannot kill them." More screams fill the air, making me wince and cover my ears. Right before a sudden gust of wind hits I feel Sam covering me the best he can. "Wraiths on wings!" Another scream; I clutch at the Ring through my shirt. "They are calling for the precious." My breathing speeds up and I begin to hyperventilate. Sam says something, but I can't hear him over the sound of the Nazgûl. Once the sound has faded away I open my eyes and sit up, shaking a little. "Hurry, Hobbits, the Black Gate is very close." I ain't no dang Hobbit!


	9. Damn Zombies

**~Ashley's Point of View~**

Gimli bends down and sticks his finger in a dark, sticky-looking, substance and brings it to his mouth—promptly spitting it out afterwards. "Orc blood," he announces, making a face. I roll my eyes, following Ada as he follows the Hobbit's and Kharl's tracks. He stops suddenly, causing me to run into his back; I would've fell flat on my butt if Leggy hadn't been behind me.

"These are strange tracks," Ada mumbles. I look around me, trying to find if Kharl had left anything that could help us find him. He knows how to leave a nearly invisible trail that he taught me to follow. I get down on my hands and knees and begin to look for signs that Kharl usually leaves. There, lying on the ground is a single bullet; used, of course.

"This forest is old," Legolas says softly," very old; full of memory...and anger." Low groans echo through the forest, making Gimli gasp and raise his axe for protection. "The tress are speaking to each other." I look over at Gimli and see he's waving his axe around and looking for an enemy. Moron, piss off the trees and they'll step on our asses.

"Gimli," Ada hisses," lower your axe." Hesitantly, the Dwarf does as he's told, hating to feel so defensive. I can agree with him there.

"They have feelings, my friend; the Elves began it-waking up the trees, teaching them to speak." I simply cross my arms over my chest. Leave it to the Elves to makes the trees have the power to talk and complain.

"Talking trees," Gimli asks in disbelief. "What do trees have to talk about except the consistency of squirrel droppings?" I snort as we continue walking, eyes glued to the ground for anymore bullet shells; not even noticing when Leggy runs off and only stopping when Ada gently grasps my wrist.

"Aragorn," Legolas shouts," nad nâ ennas**(1)**!" Ada walks over to where Leggy is standing.

"Man cenich**(2)**?"

"The White Wizard approaches." Legolas' whispered reply puts all of us on edge.

"Do not let him speak," Ada whispers just loud enough for us to hear. "He will put a spell on us." Ada unsheathes his sword, Gimli tightens his grip on his axe, Leggy nocks an arrow, and I get ready to levitate the enemy. "We must be quick." Suddenly a bright, white light fills the clearing as Ada drops his sword, Gimli's axe shatters against it, and Leggy's arrow is deflected. I'm forced to cover my eyes, not wanting to go blind.

"You are tracking the footsteps of two young Hobbits and a man," the White Wizard states. I groan at the all too familiar voice. Does nobody stay dead here?

"Where are they," Ada demands.

"They passed this way the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect—does this comfort you?"

"Who are you? Show yourself!" The light disappears, revealing none other than Gandalf himself, dressed completely in white. Freakin' joy. "It cannot be." Gandalf opens his mouth to tell the incredibly long—not to mention, boring—tale of how he came back from the dead like a damn Zombie minus the usual craving of human flesh, but I interrupt him to save me a headache.

"To make it short, he fell, killed the demon, was killed himself, came back to life, and here he is—all bright, and shiny, and new again." Gandalf gives me an annoyed look which I return with a smug look of my own. "Don't blame me if my version doesn't make people's ears bleed, Gandalf." He looks confused for a moment before smiling.

"That's what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey...that was my name." Wow, he's a slow one. "I am now Gandalf the white."

"You sure, that looks more like burnished eggshell," I remark. What? It's my day of sarcasm and I'm gonna embrace it. The others ignore me and begin to follow Gandalf through the forest; I follow reluctantly. As we walk Gandalf covers his white robes with an elven cloak.

"One stage of the journey is over, another begins. We must travel to Edoras with all speed." How many stages are there for crying out loud?!

"Edoras," Gimli frowns," that is no short distance!" Oh boy, I can already tell that this is going to suck. The Dwarf and I share a look, both of us tired of all the running and riding of horses. Have I mentioned I hate horses?

"We hear of trouble in Rohan—it goes ill with the king," Aragorn says, turning his head to face Gandalf—who stops.

"Yes, and it will not be easily cured." I let out a frustrated groan, ready to just plop onto the ground and throw a fit like a stubborn child. First I get kidnapped, then I get knocked unconscious, almost got eaten by an Orc, got knocked unconscious _again_, and now Gandalf's back telling us we have to go cure a damn king that I could care less about! Gimli must share my feelings.

"Then we have run all this way for nothing? Are we going to leave those poor Hobbits here in this horrid, dark, dank, tree-infested—" Gimli is cut off when the forest begins to make the groaning sounds again. "I mean, charming...a beautiful forest." Gimli lets out a relieved sigh when the trees shut up. They complain more than my four-year-old cousin!

"It was more than mere chance that brought Kharl, Merry, and Pippin to Fangorn; a great power has been sleeping here for many long years and the coming of the Hobbits and Kharl will be the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains." I swear, Gandalf just likes to hear himself talk and see a confused look on my face.

Ada smiles saying," In one thing you have not changed, dear friend." Gandalf raises an eyebrow. "You still speak in riddles." Ain't that the dang truth. The man is like Master Fung from Xiaolin Showdown!

"Something is about to happen that has not happened since the Elder Days: the Ents are going to wake up and find that they are strong." We begin to walk again. "Our three friends are quite safe, in fact, they're far safe than we are soon to be." Gimli and I share another look.

"This new Gandalf is grumpier than the old one," he whispers to me.

"I would've thought it impossible until now," I agree. Damn freaking Zombies—don't know when to shut up or speak like a normal person! We get to the border of the forest a few hours later. Gandalf whistles, and it wasn't a normal whistle, it was piercing and it echoe-making me wince and cover my ears in pain. When the whistle dies away I step on his fott as hard as I possibly can. "I'm sorry, did that hurt," I asks sweetly.

"Yes!"

"Good." I'd kill him myself if I wasn't afraid he'd come back more annoying than he is now! A giant white horse gallops towards us and I dive behind Ada and Leggy. I don't feel like dying today, so the horse can glady trample the wizard.

"This is on eof the Mearas," Leggy says in awe," unless my eyes are cheated by some spell." Knowing the old man it's probably a spell and the horse is really a mud brown color and ugly as sin.

"Shadowfax," Gandalf smiles. "He is the lord of all horses and has been my friend through many dnagers." Ada picks me up and places me on Hasufel and climbs on after me while Gimli and Leggy get on Arod. I have a feeling I'm going to strangle Gandalf before the day is up.

**~Kharl's Point of View~**

I lean against Treebeard as he continues to walk, using my pocket knife to clean the dirt from under my nails. "Is it much further," Merry asks, stifling a yawn. I hope we are, my ass is beginning to hurt.

"Don't be hasty," Treebeard answers. "You might call it far; my home lies deep in the forest near the roots of the mountain. I told Gandalf I would keep you safe and safe is where I'll keep you. I believe you'll like my next song, I wrote it myself." He clears his throat and begins to sing again; I simply roll my eyes and zone out-slowly I begin to join the Hobbits in some much needed sleep.

**(1) Something is out there**

**(2) What do you see**


	10. A Long Day

**~Andrea's Point of View~**

Sam and I scramble as fast as we can up a rock face, trying to keep up with Gollum. Darn thing is like Speedy Gonzalez! "The Black Gate of Mordor," Gollum says. I finally reach the top and look to where Gollum is pointing; seeing an enormous gate with Orcs patrolling on top of it and some standing guard in front of it. _They have a cave troll_. Cave trolls manned the top of the gate as well, tied to beams similar to the ones on Davy Jones' ship that they push to summon his terrible beastie. It's gonna take more than my amazing ninja skills to break into that place.

"My old Gaffer would have a few things to say if he could see us now," Sam says quietly. I nod, blue eyes never leaving the Black Gate as I try to figure out a plan on how to sneak in and destroy the Ring. This is going to be harder than I first thought it would be. I think I'm a little overdue for some comic relief. Ashley's voice fills my head making me smile, _if you get yourself killed trying to rule the world I will personally break every bone in your body_. Her random quotes keep me at a moderate degree of happiness, though the bleak depression from the ring is always hovering nearby. Gollum rests on his belly next to me.

"Mistress says to show her the way into Mordor. So good Sméagol does, Mistress says so."

"I did," I say softly, eyes never leaving the gate in front of me. This is a suicide mission; it was from the very start. How did I not remember this part of it all; that I was probably going to die just to throw a dang ring into a volcano whose name is less original than some of the crap Stephanie Meyers came up with? "We're doomed," I groan, dropping my head in my hands. Sam places one of his small hands on my shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. What could only be described as an army marches up to the Black Gate on a path below where Sam, Gollum, and I are perched.

"How can we get passed that," he asks, turning slightly to face me.

"It's the blonde leading the blonder, Sammy boy," I answer, all of us hunkering down further to avoid being spotted by the army below. "God, please don't let me die so filthy," I pray softly, wincing when an Orc blows a horn and the gates slowly begin to open. Sam moves up to a higher perch, looking down at our destination with a new spring in his crawl.

"I can see a way down." I notice the rock he's on is slowly beginning to shift forward, and leap over to him, barely missing the end of his cloak—the two of us roll down, the gravel scratching me everywhere and the air was knocked from my lungs. _Good lord, I've never hurt so bad in my life; not even the second time I screwed my knee up, for crying out loud!_ When the tumbling finally stops I have rocks and a number of other hard crap pinning me from mid-thigh down to my poor toes and I'm unable to move. I notice a couple of the strange soldiers walking my way and I manage to hiss at Sam to cover himself in his cloak and do the same, hoping that this actually works and the human light bulb didn't give it to us just to mess with our heads.

I hold my breath as the two soldiers approach, able to make out a pair of booted feet only a few inches from my face; one more step and I might not have a face left. Just as I was getting desperate for air, the feet begin to retreat and join back with the others, still clutching their weapons. Letting out the breath I'd been holding, and taking a few more to steady my racing heart, I begin to work at freeing my legs as quickly and quietly as was humanly possible. Calling on my adrenalin rush, I finally get free and begin to help Sammy—the rocks were at his waist and he wasn't having much luck in moving around by himself. "Hold up, don't need you straining yourself before the climb back up," I tell him softly while pushing the rocks away and pulling him to his feet.

_He looks like he's thinking about something deep and meaningful, but if you ask him what it is, he'll punch you in the face._

_So not the right time, Ash; focus on what you should be doing._ Smiling a little, I hide behind a nearby bolder and watch as the army enters Sauron's village of doom and lollipops—okay, not lollipops; more like...the perfect place for people to smoke cigarettes and not have to worry about other people getting offended. I start forward, wanting to slip through the gate before it closes and we're stuck out here to die a horrible and painful death. _Wow, maybe you need a pep talk._

_Shut up, Ashley, or I will find you and I will kill you_. Sam comes up behind me and I look at the Hobbit over my shoulder. "You don't have to come, Sammy."

"I know, but I am," he states, determination shining in his hazel eyes. Gah, Hobbits are awesomely annoying sometimes, but I guess Sam's beginning to grow on me...Just a little bit... Taking a deep breath, I open my mouth to give the 'onward' command but Gollum pulls Sam and me backwards by our cloaks before I got the chance. Man that would've been my first onward.

"No," Gollum shrieks," they catch you!" Growling in annoyance, I try to go again, but, like last time, Gollum stopped me. "You can't take it to him." I take a good, long look at Gollum's face, seeing the desperation and worry there as plain as day. "Always he's looking for it and it wants to go back to him." I look from Gollum back to the gate, noticing it beginning to close. I can't lose my only shot of destroying this stupid ring and maybe being sent back home! I leap forward and Gollum wraps his long arms around my legs, sending me back to the ground and gasping for air. My lungs hate me right now, I just know it. "I know another way; a secret way...a darker way."

"Why haven't you said this before," Sam shouts, grabbing Gollum's arms and making him face him.

"Master did not ask." Gollum snatches his arm back, but only because Sam allowed it.

"Enough," I snap, cutting off whatever Sam was going to say," if there's another way into the Godforsaken place then we're gonna take it and I'll have no more arguments from either of you! I have been nice to both of you this far, but I'm close to my breaking point, and believe me, you don't want to be there when it happens." My temper was legendary and made all but Kharl and Ashley flinch away; those two would fight back or calm me down, depending on how they felt. I shove Gollum forward. "Now, start walking."


	11. Out-singing the Tree

**~Kharl's Point of View~**

Merry yelling Treebeard's name makes me groan and instantly regret falling asleep on the damn tree. Not ready to wake up yet, I roll onto my side and pull my cloak closer to me for some warmth. Smiling, I begin to dream, blocking out all outside noise. Well, I was until I hear shouting from both of the Hobbits and realize they're no longer fighting, but need help. Friggin' Hobbits will regret waking me up later! Sitting up with a yawn, I look around and find the two assholes being sucked into tree roots. "You don't see that every day," I chuckle, sprinting over and trying to pull both of them free to no avail. In fact, the ground beneath my feet started to shift and I began to sink with them, losing my grip in the process. "This isn't the way to wake up in the morning," I shout to anyone that would listen, beating my fists against the tree.

Leaves fall onto me, filling my mouth and muffling my shouts and curses. If I die, I'm gonna kill the Hobbits! "Away with you," Treebeard shouts just as my world was beginning to go dark. The roots begin to move again, this time to my advantage; as quickly as I could, I leap out of what would have been my grave, spitting out leaves and collapsing onto the ground a few feet away from the tree of evil. "Come," Treebeard says to us," the forest is waking up. It isn't safe." I take my normal place on Treebeard's shoulder with another yawn. "The trees have grown wild and dangerous-anger festers in their hearts. Black is their thoughts, strong is their hate; they will harm you if they can. We are too few in number to manage them."

"Aren't there any Ent children," Pippin asks innocently.

"There have been no Entings for many years." Frowning, I begin to listen to the Ent more closely, remembering the last argument I had with my girlfriend before I was brought to this confusing world. A guy in my line of work shouldn't have children; not if he wants them to turn out normal. "We lost the Entwives." Does everything have to start with Ent?

"Oh, I'm sorry, how did they die?" Dude, you don't ask people that!

"They're still alive somewhere."

With an all-out laugh I ask," You seriously _lost _them; like when your mom leaves you at Wal-Mart?" Treebeard gives me a tiny nod of acknowledgment, though I'm sure he has no idea what a Wal-Mart is. If only this world had one of those, I'd basically be set for life—except for ammo, of course, they never have too much of that anymore. Then again, not even Bass Pro has much ammo these days; people are just too damn sensitive. Holy crap, I do sound like Ash's dad when I rant about this stuff...

"I don't suppose you've got any Entwives in the Shire or in the Wal-Mart," Treebeard asks us in his usual slow tone. I pat him on the part of the shoulder I wasn't sitting on with a negative, ghost rider.

"Can't say I have," Merry tells him. "You, Pip?"

"What do they look like," the other Hobbit asks.

"Um...I don't remember now." I raise an eyebrow at that confession. No wonder they can't find their women; hell, the women probably don't remember what their men look like neither! Damn, I'd hate to be a tree in this world. I chuckle again, looking around the forest and patting the holster that has my favorite pistol in it. Treebeard begins to sing again and I begin to wish I had something to drown him out with.

"There once was a boy named Harry," I sing loudly," destined to be a star. His parents were killed by Voldemort, who gave him a lightening scar!" _Yo, Harry, you a wizard_. "Harry goes to Hogwarts, he meets Ron and Hermione; McGonnagal requires he play for Gryffindor, Draco is a daddy's boy, Quarrel becomes unemployed, the sorcerer's stone is destroyed by Dumbledore. Ron breaks his wand, now Ginny's gone, and Harry's in mortal danger. Tom Riddle hides his snake inside his ginormous secret chamber; Harry blows up Aunt Marge, the Dementors come and take charge, Lupin is a wolf, the rat's a man, and now the prisoner is at large..."


	12. Taking on the Enemy

-Ashley's Point of View-

"They use time travel so they can save the prisoner of Azkaban," I sing, sitting behind Ada on his horse," who just so happens to be Harry's godfather; I don't really get it either. Harry gets put in the tri-wizard tournament with dragons and mermaids; oh no, Edward Cullen gets slain. He's back. Harry, Harry, its gettin' scary—"

"Ashley," Gimli says through clenched teeth," enough of those ridiculous songs; at least sing something that would entertain _all _of us."

"Right," I nod, a grin making my words sound even less serious than I meant them to be. I needed one that would shock them, one that's perfectly acceptable in the society of the other world—hell, a tone-deaf monkey could make a song better than most of the 'musical artists' these days. "You were lyin' there with nothin' on, but a goofy little grin and a platinum blonde," I begin," I can't believe you'd do that on our bed. I got a pistol and I got a bullet, and a pissed off finger just itchin' to pull it—the only thing keepin' me from losing my head is I hate stripes and orange ain't my color, and if I squeeze that trigger tonight I'll be wearin' one or the other!" I quiet down when we reach the top of the gently sloping hill we've been climbing, able to see the place we are headed to—Edoras, home of the horse lords. "Whoa."

Leggy nods with a smile, having grown used to my one word phrases. "Yes," he chuckles," very whoa." I tilt my head to the right slightly, taking in the view before me—all the houses set upon a cliff, the very top of which rests the place for the royals; the bottom of the cliff has a tall gate surrounding it until the earth gives way to a free fall into nothingness. What rests behind the city is what really caught my eye, dozens of white-capped mountains that almost looked blue from our vantage point. It was something I am glad I am able to see; poor Andi's probably surrounded by dull, bleak landscape. Heh, I love my life right now; well, my butt hurts but besides that my life is pretty good.

"Edoras and the Golden Hall of Meduseld," Gandalf informs us," that's where we'll find Théoden, King of Rohan; whose mind is overthrown." I turn my head to look in Gandalf's direction with a raised brow.

"So, Saruman's brainwashed the king in hopes of taking over this place to give Sauron a stronger grip on Middle Earth; it makes sense, you need horses to win a war—well, that and warriors with pointy swords—and these people have plenty of those…kind of like the Dothraki from a book I've read a thousand times." A satisfied smile settles on my face as I take in my traveling companions' surprised looks.

"You know, she may ramble most of the time, but every now and again your daughter spouts out something intelligent," Gandalf remarks

"You better watch yourself, old man; I will smack you in the face with that pretty stick of yours." Aragorn flicks the back of my head in an attempt to shut me up…it worked. "I mean, uh, such a pretty white stick—"

"Be quiet while you're still ahead, and everyone must be careful what you say in the king's presence; do not look for welcome here." With that we begin our descent towards the horse city, the gates opening up for us. As we ride towards the hall I notice many people staring at us solemnly, not saying anything just staring as if they've never seen a few riders before, which is ridiculous if you think about it.

"You'd find more cheer in a graveyard," Gimli quips.

"Look around," I say soft enough so as not to be overheard by too many," what is there to be cheerful about; their king is being held hostage in his own mind and the darkest force in this world is planning a total takeover, meaning that most of these people won't be alive afterwards and the people that do live will wish that they hadn't." The dwarf nods in silent agreement with me, continuing to look around him at the people.

The Golden Hall wasn't exactly golden at all, just a large building with a thatch roof and some embellishment painted to look gold. Ada dismounts and helps me down afterward, brushing some dirt off my face with a small smile. "When you were two we would play in Lady Galadriel's garden and you would play in some of the dirtiest spots, always coming back to me with dirt covering you from head to toe," he tells me," your mother would have had a fit if she'd seen you." For just a moment while he told me that little tale his features had softened and I'd seen a mixture of happiness and sadness in his eyes; then his guard came back up as Gandalf lead the way up the stone steps, feigning the need of his staff and covering his white robs with a grey one.

A few men in armor meet us at the top, barring our way. I narrow my eyes at the men, brushing some of my thick hair behind my ear in an effort to keep the wind from blowing it in my face. "I cannot allow you entrance to see Théoden King so armed, Gandalf Greyhame," the lead man states," by order of Grima Wormtongue." the last words sound like acid on his tongue, or like my cooking... Gandalf nods at us and the other three men relinquish their weapons, but I look innocently up at the guards.

"I've no weapons on me as you can well see." I raise my arms above my head and do a three-sixty slowly so that they could see that I was telling the truth. Well, sort of telling the truth anyway; it would be bad to tell them I _might _be able to throw them against the wall.

The head guy looks back to Gandalf. "Your staff." He looks reluctant to have to take it but if he knew Gandalf was faking he'd take it in a heartbeat. I step forward, acting outraged at the thought.

"Are you going to carry him inside, sir," I ask in a demanding tone," because you're going to have to if you take his walking staff; it's the only thing keeping the old fool upright after our long ride here to ask for council." I stand between Gandalf and the other man, hands on my hips and dark eyes narrowed in a way Andrea taught me that could make man quake in their boots no matter how tough they may think they are. If this didn't work and they really did take Gandalf's staff we might well be screwed in the long run. The guy nods, turning and leading our group inside. Thank the Lord my cousins taught me a thing or two about being convincing!

Gandalf holds onto Leggy's arm and the pair walks in front with Ada and me behind them and Gimli being the caboose. Sitting on a throne is a withered old man dressed in robes of fur to keep him warm with long white hair and beside him sits a pale man dressed in all black, hair oily and as dark as his clothing._ That must be Grima; what a weird little dude_. He leans close to the king to whisper something in his ear as the double doors to the hall close behind us. Cautiously, I look around us and notice the men watching us back just as closely, looking cruel and ready for a fight. "The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Théoden King," Gandalf states, voice booming in the spacious room.

"Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?" The king's voice is unimpressive and weak; he had to take a short break so that he could breathe and I knew that it wouldn't be long until he perished. After he finished speaking Théoden turns to Grima as if he were seeking approval. Grima stands and faces us, looking too smug and confidant for my liking.

"Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear." Grima's voice grates on my nerves but he continues to approach us without fear, stopping only a few feet away from Gandalf. "Láthspell I name him—ill news is an ill guest." I sneer at him, beginning to focus on him in case things went south; that and the fact that I'd love to wipe the better-than-you look off his pale face.

"Be silent," Gandalf commands," keep your forked tongue behind your teeth." Grima begins to grow nervous as Gandalf continues to speak. "I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm." He raises his staff causing Grima to flinch back towards his king.

"His staff; I _told _you to take the wizard's staff!" Men rush forward to protect their king and his brainless buddy; the men in my group begin to fight immediately, taking down one man after another. A grinning man approaches me, seemingly thinking that I was depending on the others to defend me.

"Why would they bring a little girl into all this," he asks himself as he continues towards me and stops when there was barely a foot between us. Out of instinct I punch the guy in the throat, and when he drops to his knees, I kick him in the face. Well, that's one point for me.

Cocking my head to the side with a smirk I say," Maybe 'cause I could kick your ass." I catch Grima starting to crawl away from the fighting and summon all of my will power to lift him up, only to drop him on his face. "Oh," I wince, scrunching my nose up," sorry 'bout that one, creepy." I raise him again and pretty much hand him over to Gimli to torture. I turn my attention back to Gandalf.

"Hearken to me!" Théoden looks up at Gandalf again with a growl. "I release you from the spell." When nothing happens I look over at Ada with a sarcastic look that said '_I told you he was a phony_.' Ada rolls his eyes at me, and subtly nods in Gandalf's direction. Théoden begins to laugh at Gandalf, sounding a lot like some kind of demented crow.

"You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey," Théoden chuckles, sounding healthier than he had before. Straightening up completely, Gandalf throws the grey cloak away and reveals his shiny white one. Théoden shrinks away from it as much as he can while sitting on his throne before Gandalf uses magic to make him sit ramrod straight as well.

"I will draw you, Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound." He jerks his staff forward and begins to advance on the king. As Gandalf is doing his thing, a pretty woman comes out of nowhere and tries to run to Théoden but Ada stops her from interfering.

"If I go, Théoden dies." The voice is no longer Théoden's; in fact, it sounds kind of like the Jabberwocky from the new Alice in Wonderland movie. Gandalf jerks his staff again.

"You did not kill me and you will not kill him."

Théoden growls, leaning forward, "Rohan is mine."

"Be gone."

Théoden jerks back into his throne again in time with Gandalf's staff; he suddenly leaps forward and Gandalf smacks him in the face with his staff, sending him backwards again with surprisingly no damage done. Aragorn lets go of the blond and she flies forward, catching the old man before he could fall out of the chair. Slowly Théoden starts to change; scraggly white hair becoming thicker and a dark blonde, his eyes no longer hold a milky white color but a splendid blue, and his body changes from an eighty year old to that of a strong man in his late thirties. I swallow around a lump growing in my throat, watching as the blonde and Théoden embrace like long lost family. Mine and Ada's reunion went nothing like that and I was gone a whole hell of a lot longer than this king. "Gandalf," he asks, looking up at the old wizard.

"Breathe the free air again, my friend," Gandalf smiles. I look away from the scene, feeling jealousy growing quickly in the pit of my stomach—even now Aragorn keeps his guard up as if he were afraid I was really just a spy for the enemy instead of the daughter he sent away. I might never get the complete truth even if I delved into the deepest corners of his thoughts and memories. A sudden anger rushes through me and I go outside to escape the suffocating room. This world isn't fair and I don't want to deal with anything right now.

I begin to run, ignoring the people grumbling around me and heading for the edge of the large cliff. My breathing grows shallow and comes out in raspy pants the longer I run, but I don't even think about slowing down until I collapse onto my knees and look down at the small stream flowing at the cliff's bottom. It's a long drop to the bottom, one nobody could survive. That's when my slight fear of heights decides to make itself known. I straighten up, taking deep breaths to try and stop the asthma attack I can feel coming on. With a breathless gasp, I fall back to my knees, lungs burning and in need of air. And then I was lost to a world of darkness...

I groan, feeling strong arms wrapped tightly around me and pressing me against something warm and moving. I groan again as I remember what had happened on the cliff's edge. "Larien," asks a concerned voice, the arms around me tightening slightly.

"Leithio nin," I say in a whisper, starting to wiggle and try to break free without opening my eyes.

"Lariel, please, be calm." I let out one last muffled whisper before falling asleep once more.

**Leithio nin-Release me  
>-iel-Daughter<br>Sorry if this wasn't the greatest, but all I have is a script right now since I'm in class.**


	13. Remember the Five Second Rule

~Andrea's Point of View~

_I glare at my friend; throwing some popcorn at her and making her roll her eyes. "You know what I mean," she shrugs, popping another cherry Jolly Rancher in her mouth, turning to face the movie again. "Anyway, what are we gonna do about this chemistry grade; I mean, I can't graduate with a high D and my parents be happy."_

_"Maybe you could start paying attention in class instead of texting ol' what's-his-name," I suggest, head tilted slightly to the side as Hugh Jackman's shirt disappears. Ashley gives an audible scoff of annoyance as she readjusts on the sofa so that she can reach her cup of Dr. Pepper-Coke mixture. I can't see how she can drink that crap, but whatever. "You'll do well on that one paper you turned in Monday and that'll bump your grade up to a moderate B; win-win on your part." My eyes never leave the TV screen; not wanting to miss Hugh turning into a giant werewolf and beating the snot out of Count Chocula. Now that's how a werewolf should be; blood-thirsty and ready to tear people apart! When I get no smartass remark from Ashley I glance over at her and see her looking at me with her mouth half-opened like she was about to say something. "Go ahead, get the remark out of the way so that I can focus on Van Helsing and you can focus on your monk."_

_"I am afraid your friend seems to be a bit speechless at the moment." I jump at the new, deep voice, spinning in my seat in the direction it came from. Standing in the doorway is a tall, intimidating man with long, white hair and beard. "She'll remain so until I decide to leave and not before." I open my mouth the respond, but he beats me to the punch and, with a wave of his frail hand, takes away my ability to speak. "Now, in a few years you'll be taken back to the world you came from; you'll go on a little quest with two of your friends, carry a ring—a special ring which you'll take to Mordor." My eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. _Mordor; that's not even a real place, you psycho! _"One of the three of you will come to stay with me in case I need to use you against the others; preferably Larien considering she's much too meek to put up a fight. You'll remember this conversation when you need to, girl, until then enjoy your ignorance." _

_And just like that, the man had disappeared and Ashley started talking as though she had never been interrupted. "What's wrong with you," she asks," You have a weird look on your face; kinda like you saw a ghost."_

_"Um... nothing," I shake my head in irritation, a niggling feeling in the back of my mind making me think I forgot something really important. "Who cares, let's finish the movie and then go find something for dinner."_

* * *

><p>I awake with a jolt, sitting bolt upright and looking around wildly as though my dream (or memory) was still going on. Surrounding me is rocks, dark, and a cold that seemed to seep into my bones and make me ache. "Yeah, that wasn't strange in the least," I murmur, lying back and hugging my light cover closer to me to fend off what cold I could. Half of that dream was from Ash and I were seniors in college in my apartment—she was worried that she was gonna fail chemistry while I was secretly worrying about passing criminal law. We both passed with high grades that year, something I'm extremely proud of, by the way. Shivering, I stare up at the sky, making out faint colors of pink and orange in the distance that signaled sunrise. The closer we get to Mordor, the darker it became; like a living thing bent on snuffing out any possible light.<p>

"Mm, ouch," Sam groans softly, rolling onto his side and cracking his hazel eyes open slowly," how long have you been awake, Andi?"

"A few minutes," I answer in a toneless voice, continuing to stare at the pinks and oranges in the sky even as Sam and Gollum got up and began to fight about breakfast. I didn't want to get up, I just want to go back to bed and get some much-needed rest. It seems that no matter how much I sleep, I never feel refreshed when I wake up; just more exhausted and closer to my breaking point. Whenever I feel like just giving up and yelling for Sauron to come at me I picture Aragorn teaching me how to use my borrowed sword, or Ash giving me her lopsided grin; hell I've even pictured Kharl shooting Leggy in the ass! That last one tended to work best, even giving me a bit of a smile when I think about how the Elf would twitch around and rub his ass. Heh, yeah, that was a good fantasy that I hoped I could see one day.

"Nasty bread," Gollum spits, knocking a bit of Lembas bread out of Sam's outstretched hand," tries to poison us he does; yes, Precious."

I roll my eyes at the deformed and defected Hobbit, picking the bread up off the ground and beginning to take small bites. I notice the look Sam's giving me and wink at him. "Five second rule, Sammy, five second rule."

**So there's chapter fourteen; I know it's short, but bear with me here. I just got back from a pen-pal party and mine was hyped up on candy and pop (probably shouldn't have given a third grader candy, but whatever). R&R so I know if it's any good!**


	14. Departing With Threats and Strength

~Ashley's Point of View~

The next time I wake up I'm in a lavish room, lying on a bed that took up most of the space; on the opposite wall was a tapestry that depicted horses grazing in a field, next to it is a modest wardrobe, in one corner of the room, next to a rather large window/balcony was an ivory colored piano. What the hell? Shrugging, I push the covers off and walked over to it; feet protected from the cold stone by the Elvish boots I had on. I sit down on the piano bench, letting my fingers gently brush across the keys—I've always loved the sound of a piano and had bugged my mom until she agreed to pay for lessons. Well, my mom from 2013 anyway. That distinction is gonna take some getting used to, that's for damn sure! Slowly, I fall into the familiar rhythm of playing; starting with the first song that came to mind. "Once upon a broken heart, I was walking around in the dark looking for a way to start again; what I wouldn't give for a friend…"

Soft clapping brings me back to the real world, my head jerking up in surprise. "That was really good," the blonde from earlier says, giving me a kind smile. "I haven't heard the sound of a piano playing since before my mother died and I came here; I've missed it." I say nothing, standing up and give her a suspicious look. "Do not worry, your father asked me if I could find some suitable clothing for you since yours is in no good shape." I couldn't deny the fact that my clothing looked shitty; the shirt and breeches were torn in several places and stained with blood—mine and other's. The woman moves over to the wardrobe, opening the doors and browsing through the many dresses. I catch my reflection in the mirror that hung from one of the doors and my eyes widen in surprise.

I've lost weight since I first came to Middle Earth, I wasn't exactly skinny, but I was certainly smaller than I had been. I raise my hand to my face, now free of dirt as though someone had washed it while I was sleeping, dark eyes wide and lips slightly parted. "Holy mother of God," I whisper softly as I take in the transformation. No matter what I did in the other world, I had hell losing two pounds, so you can understand what a big milestone this is for me.

"This dress should fit you, and you'll be able to fight well enough in it if need be." The woman helps me into the dress and breeches, frowning slightly when I fight her on changing my boots. These things ain't leaving my feet unless I'm changing clothes, then they come back on. The dress falls down to a little below my knees with a leather belt that wraps twice around my waist with a couple of holsters for the daggers that Elrond gave me; the leaf necklace Ada gave me standing out in stark contrast against the pure white of the dress. "It is a bit longer than I thought, but it seems to be fine otherwise." _Of course it's longer; I ain't nowhere near as tall as you are, blondie. _A knock at the door gains our attention. The blonde gives me a brief smile, quickly moving to open the door and revealing Aragorn. "My Lord, your daughter is ready."

"Thank you, Éowyn." The blonde, Éowyn, nods and walks past him out of the room with her head bowed slightly. "How do you feel, Larien?"

"Better now," I answer, sitting on the piano bench again, my hands folded in my lap. "What exactly happened, anyway?" Ada sits on the other end of the bench, giving me a worried look.

"You ran out of the hall—Gandalf thought from being overwhelmed—we didn't worry at first; we thought you just needed time for yourself, but when you did not come back after two hours we began to worry and search. I found you soon afterwards…you were on the very edge of the cliff and barely breathing…." He trails off staring down at his lap, lips pressed tightly together in a thin line. "I don't know exactly what caused you to fall into that state, but Gandalf was able to help you." I nod, remembering what had happened vividly now and felt stupid that I had let those particular emotions get the better of me. With a huff, I stand up and walk out onto the balcony, breathing in the fresh air—untouched by pollution.

"Sounds like a panic attack turned into an asthma attack." Aragorn stands next to me outside, watching me closely as though he were afraid I might do something idiotic. "You know, I've been wondering something ever since I got the news you were my father; will you answer me honestly if I ask a few questions?" At his hesitant nod I continue. "What was my mother like?"

"Quite a bit like you in some ways." I lean back against the marble railing, silently urging him to go into some more detail. "She had your hair and your temper," he smiles slightly," actually, she threw a few pieces of fruit and some appalling remarks at Lady Galadriel when she gave you a journal for your first birthday."

"What the fuck is a one year old gonna do with a journal?"

"Her thoughts precisely; she also had this way of staring at someone that made them want to tell her the truth or run away in terror—Andrea seems to have that mastered as well, I don't understand how it doesn't affect you." I shrug, having dealt with Andi's doom glare since we were in diapers and didn't know even what a glare was. "She could play the piano well enough that Lord Elrond invited her to play for him at times—she actually liked Elrond, he was one of her favorite Elves besides, of course, Tauriel." I nod, remembering the elleth from part two of The Hobbit and liking her as well; she kicked more ass than Leggy did! "Um, she was as distracted as you are; trying to do one thing and then thinking that she should do something else, and never really getting anything done. Don't give me that look because you know it is true." _Yeah, I'll give him that one. _"She was one of the happiest elleths I knew, though she had a certain light in her eyes that held such mischief and I never thought I would see it again until you came home."

"What was her name anyway—you forgot to mention that."

"Her name was Enelya."

"You keep speaking in past tense—did she die or something?"

"Honestly, I have no idea if your mother is still alive; she disappeared when you were one and a half and I haven't heard anything of her since. After she had you she changed from the elleth she had been and she just couldn't take the stress of raising a child—she wasn't meant for it." My eyes drop to the ground, inspecting my boots with feigned interest. _Had I really been the cause of my mother running away and leaving Ada in her dust? _"I think I will start down to the hall, dinner should be served soon."

"Why did you send me away?" My question makes Aragorn pause in the doorway of my room, shoulders tense and head bowed slightly in shame. I take a couple of steps forwards into the room, the cool breeze from outside making me shiver. "What would make you send your only daughter to a completely different world that didn't even acknowledge this one except for in movies; was I such a terrible kid that I drove away both of my parents?"

I'd been wondering that for a while and I could feel tears building up, but refused to let them fall. "I had no other choice," he says finally, voice breaking slightly. And then he was gone, the door shut firmly behind him and I was alone again.

* * *

><p>When I walk into the crowded hall I search for a familiar face, spotting Leggy's first and immediately pushing my way through the throng of people towards him. "What's going on," I ask the elf, seating myself on the low bench that ran the length of one of the many long tables. "Where's the food I was promised?"<p>

"Is that what Aragorn told you to get you to come down," he asks in amusement. I give him a curious look before the truth smacks me in the face: Aragorn had lied and I might have to ride a freaking horse soon. Oh, that man is pure evil! "You can ride with me if it makes you feel safer."

"Oh yeah," I say sarcastically," I'm sure Ada would just love to ride with Gimli." Said Dwarf looks up at me, one his bushy eyebrows raised. "No offense, Gimli." He nods, grumbling to himself and taking a gulp of beer. "So, when are we supposed to be riding out into the sunset?"

"Why don't you ask Aragorn; he should know." I watch Ada over my shoulder, noticing Éowyn talking to him and getting a little too close for my liking. I wasn't about to let some random bitch get in the way of Andi's and my dad's whatever it is—Andrea would kick the crap outta me if I did. The woman smiles at something my father says and my eyes narrow into slits, hands clenching and unclenching as I ready myself to confront the pair. I don't give a damn if he is my daddy, I'll still try to kick his ass if her hurts my best friend—I've known her a hell of a longer than I've known his ass. "Oh no, I know that look and it never results in anything good." Leggy grabs my wrist and forces me to stay sitting. "Last time I saw that look was right before you started throwing apples at dinner and broke my father's nose." I chuckle evilly at that; wishing I could remember it just for the look Thranduil must have had on his face.

Scowling, I watch as what's-her-face walks away, sending Aragorn one more smile over her shoulder that spoke volumes of what she thought of him; I didn't like any of it. Ada walks over to the rest of our little group, sporting a fond smile of his own. "We should get ready," he tells us," we will be departing soon for Helm's Deep." At the name of the Rohan safe haven my stomach drops and I'm unsure as to the cause—a feeling a dread crashing into me like a wave. "Are you alright, Larien."

"Fine," I answer automatically, a little harsher than I meant to. "Just… I'm just not looking forward to riding a horse again." Clearing my throat, I give the others a feeble excuse and hurry out of the crowded hall into the even more crowded streets—looking for a certain blonde that needed a good talking to and I was in the mood to give her one.

"Take only what you can carry," I hear a feminine voice say to my left. Turning, I find Éowyn helping an older woman to pack a basket of clothing and food. "I will help when the time comes to move out." The old woman nods, looking sadly down at the basket that held her belongings before turning and walking back into her home. "Larien, I didn't expect to see you out here." Éowyn gives me a bright smile and I don't bother to return it with one of my own, instead I drag her to a quit spot. "Is there something wrong?"

"Just one thing," I tell her with a nod," I know how you feel about my Ada and if you keep trying to get close to him romantically, I won't hesitate to smack the ever-loving shit out of you." Her happy expression turns to one of shock. "My best friend is taking on a dangerous quest, but she and Aragorn love each other; if you try to sway his affections it won't end pretty for either of you because I may have a pretty bad temper, but by God her's is a hell of a lot worse." With an optimistic smile I ask," Understand now?" She nods slowly and I turn and walk over to where the mini-fellowship has gathered in the stables with an extra skip in my step.

"Larien," Leggy greets with a respectful nod and a teasing smile. "Have you decided who it is you will ride with on the way to Helm's Deep?" I give him a thoughtful look, tapping my chin lightly with one finger.

"Hmm, perhaps myself this time," I tell him confidently. Ada looks at me with a raised eyebrow—mirroring Leggy's expression to a tee. "What; just 'cause horses have it out for me doesn't mean I never learned how to ride one in that other world—it was calming and a way to get away from stress, and even worse, people." Gimli snorts, patting my arm in understanding. "Anyway, where's Gandy gone and run off to?"

"He is going to find Éowyn's brother and the men that followed him to help us fight and defend Helm's Deep," Ada explains, taking my hand and leading me to a pale gray Gelding that had already been saddled and prepared. "I thought you might like this one earlier and so I had it readied for you." The horse has a certain cleverness in its eyes that made me feel safe as I reached out to run a hand along its side, my other hand resting gently on its muzzle. "What would you call him?"

"Thalion **(Th-al-I-on)**," I answer immediately, recalling the Elvish word for strong. "This horse possesses strength I've seen in no other; it has seen grief." Ada nods in approval of the name, brushing a loose strand of hair off my face with a tender look.

"This was once your mother's horse—you've chosen a good name for him, he is a very strong horse." With that, Ada lifts me up and places me in the saddle, strapping a short-sword I hadn't noticed on afterwards. "This was also your mother's, it brought her luck and I think you should have it now; she always called it Linte—Swift." I swallow around a lump in my throat, nodding and letting him lead Thalion and I out of the stables outside where Leggy and Gimli were already mounted; Leggy holding the reins of Ada's horse. Those with horses rode out of the city while those that didn't walked with what they could carry and nothing more. Soon, when I look behind me, Rohan is just a tiny speck and constantly growing smaller.


	15. Oliphaunt Sightings

~Andrea's Point of View~

I grimace as Gollum jumps into a stream after a fish. I don't see how anyone can eat fish in general, let alone _raw_fish! Sam looks annoyed at the deformed Hobbit, mouth drawn into a severe frown. "Hey, stinker, don't go getting too far ahead," he calls out, rolling his eyes as Gollum blatantly ignores him. That was nothing new; Sam and Gollum can't stand each other, but at least I don't have to worry about Sam stabbing me in the back like Gollum would be happy to do.

"You can do better than stinker," I smirk, nudging my companion. Hey, I have a companion—I could be the new twelfth Doctor in place of the old guy they want! Take that Peter Capaldi! Sam looks up at me with a small grin and a shrug. Giving up on the fish he lost, Gollum looks over at Sam and me and smiles—that's when I see the innocence that he's managed to maintain; the ring ruined his life too. Maybe there's still a chance for him, to be saved.

Noticing my sympathetic look towards Gollum Sam starts to speak. "There's no hope left for him, Andi, but there is for you." His voice is soft as he places one of his small hands on my arm. At my harsh glare he continues," It's the Rings fault; you're not eating or sleeping enough—you need to fight the Ring's power." I roll my eyes, continuing to walk. Sam is beginning to get on my nerves. _You're just mad that he's making sense_, whispers a tiny voice in my head—_you're slowly turning into Gollum_. Shaking that disturbing thought away, I realize that I'm clutching the Ring tightly through my shirt.

I lean back against a sun-warmed rock, feeling worse and more exhausted than I did yesterday. My sick feeling increases when Gollum drops two dead rabbits in my lap with a childish smile. "Look, look; see what Sméagol found us," Gollum shouts, jumping around and laughing with excitement. I look over at Sam and send out a silent plea for help. Gollum picks up one of the rabbits, holding it with both of his hands like it was some kind of treasure. "They are young!" He twists the rabbit and its spine breaks with an audible _crack_. I wince, one hand going to my mouth as bile starts to rise. "They are tender; they are nice, yes they are. Eat them, eat them!"

Sam storms over to us and snatches the rabbit out of Gollum's hands with disgust clear on his face. "You're making her sick," Sam says angrily, pushing Gollum away. Sam holds up the rabbit with a look of pure longing. "There's only one way to eat a brace of coneys."

* * *

><p>Sam stirs the stew slowly, licking his lips in anticipation and adding a few herbs. I smile at the content look on the Hobbit's face as I look back down at the book I'd brought with me, picking up where I'd left off. It was ironic really that the book was <em>The Hobbit <em>considering what's going on right now. Sighing, I read over the familiar riddle game and wonder what it would be like to be there instead of here; the danger level seemed to stay the same within both worlds so how bad could it really be? At least in the other book I'd get to meet Thorin... But here I have Aragorn; if I can ever get back to him. I know Ash will keep him from cheating, even if she has to knock him unconscious and have the Elf drag his ass everywhere.

Gollum peers into the large pot anxiously, rubbing his hands together. "What's he doing? Stupid, fat hobbit; he ruins it," the creature whines, making Sam give him an offended look and me roll my eyes skyward. Their bickering would never end unless both were sound asleep—even then, Gollum tends to talk in his sleep.

"What's to ruin; there's hardly any meat on them." Sam's expression changes from annoyed to wistful as her looks off in the distance, continuing to stir the pot's contents. "What we need is a few good taters." Gollum gets a curious look now, looking up at Sammy with his wide, blue eyes.

"What's taters, Precious, what's taters, eh?" The sound of a bird calling gains my attention, pulling me away from the scene in front of me. When the call comes again, I rise to my feet and start walking towards the noise—curiosity getting the better of me. The noise leads me into a forest, something in me desperately wanting to find whatever it was and see it if only for a moment. The thick trees give way to an overlook and I hastily drop to my hands and knees, crawling to the edge and looking out over it. On a path below marches a large army, clothed in what looks to an Asian designed armor from ye olden times. They carried spears and bows and arrows, most of them walking, but some riding on giant elephants. Sam and Gollum join me in my hiding place. "Wicked men," Gollum whispers to me," servants of Sauron; they are called to Mordor. The Dark One is gathering all his armies to him and it won't be long now… He will be ready soon."

"Ready for what," Sam asks.

"To make his war: The last war that will cover all the world in shadow." My eyes widen slightly, taking in the serious look on Gollum's face before deciding it was best if we left before we were spotted by one of the soldiers below.

"Andi, wait," Sam gently grasps my arm, pointing below us at the elephants," look, it's an Oliphaunt. No one at home will believe this." I smile at the awestruck look on his face, missing the more carefree Sam from Rivendell. He deserved at least this moment to be without worry; who knows when we could afford another one. The call that drew me here sounds again and makes the three of us glance around nervously. It doesn't take long for Gollum to disappear, leaving Sam and I behind to watch as more soldiers come out and begin a slaughter of the others. One soldier is shot with an arrow and lands directly behind Sam and me.

"Time to go, Sammy," I hiss, pulling the hobbit to his feet and turning to run only to run face first into a man's chest and fall backwards onto the ground, followed closely by Sam when another man comes out and throws him. The man that knocked me down places the tip of his sword (which is very sharp, I might add) against my collarbone, keeping me from moving like I so desperately wanted to.

"Wait," Sam cries out, a sword at his own neck," we're innocent travelers!" The guy in charge steps up, giving us a tired, yet hateful look.

"There are no travelers here, only servants of the Dark Tower."

"Then who the hell do you serve," I ask hatefully as I pulled to my feet, the man that did it holding firmly onto my thick hair. The head guy stops in his tracks and looks at me over his shoulder. "You want Sauron dead, then let us go and I won't tell that you almost doomed everyone because you thought we aided the enemy."

"The enemy—his sense of duty was the same as yours," he says, pointing at the dead soldier on the ground. "You wonder what his name is, where he came from , and if he was really evil at heart." The man refrains from saying anymore, breaking out of his reflection with a shake of his head. "War will make corpses of us all. Bind their hands."


	16. Unbearable Grief and Flashbacks

~Aragorn's Point of View~

I smile as Gimli talks of Dwarf women, explaining to Éowyn quietly that it was the beards that made them almost unrecognizable as Dwarf women. She smiles at me, tuning back into what Gimli was telling her. Gimli's horse suddenly rears up and rushes forward, unsaddling Gimli in the process. "Ha," Larien snorts," and you said _I _was the bad rider!" Unable to help it, I laugh at my daughter's choice of words—she was so like her mother sometimes.

"I have not seen my niece smile for a long time," Théoden says," she was a girl when they brought her father back dead; cut down my Orcs. She watched her mother succumb to grief." No wonder she wanted so desperately to fight; to defend one's self is an important thing when you feel no one else will try. Éowyn smiles at her uncle and I over her shoulder, helping Gimli back to his feet with a laugh. "Then she was left alone, to tend to her king in growing fear—doomed to wait upon an old man who should have loved her as a father." There is bitterness in the king's voice, bitterness I have felt when I look upon my daughter; a woman now and no longer the little girl that had been so close to me and the Elves of Lothlorien and Rivendell. Théoden rides ahead, replaced at my side by Larien.

"Adar, when will I be given a sword?" The question takes me by surprise, never having thought that she would ask of such a thing. "I mean, Uncle Bobby taught me how to use one when I was eleven and I think I could handle one now, especially since we may go to war."

"Perhaps we will find a suitable one at Helm's Deep," I murmur to her, looking over at her with a concerned smile. If I could help it, she would not be a part of the war, but I would feel much better if I knew she could protect herself if need be. "Until then, I would like to see how you do with the short sword I gave to you." She gives me a devilish grin, one hand holding her horse's reins and the other patting its neck comfortingly. Shrugging, she urges Thalion forward until she's near Legolas, no doubt re-learning some of the Elvish she had forgotten in the years she has been gone. "Children grow much too fast."

~Ashley's Point of View~

I stretch out in the soft grass of the field that Théoden decided to take a break in, munching on an apple and some grapes. Next to me, Legolas runs a soft cloth over his bow. "So, how do you say 'kiss me, I'm Irish' in Elvish?" The elf raises an eyebrow at my question, not deeming it worthy enough to answer I guess because he didn't say anything. "C'mon, surely you got elleth back home that'd let you have your way with her if you told her the right thing." Again, he says nothing and continues to polish his precious bow. "No, nothing; not even a dude—are you funky looking for an elf or something?" Leggy glares at me, hands tightening on his bow until his knuckles were white.

"There are plenty of elleths in Mirkwood that would love to share my bed," he says through clenched teeth," but I have something called dignity, something you know nothing about." My eyes drop to the ground, absently picking at blades of grass as an awkward silence surrounds us like a bubble. "I am sorry," he apologizes after a moment," I should not have said that I was just angry." Shrugging a shoulder, I look up at him with a mischievous grin. "By the Valar, what is it _now_?"

"So, what you're saying is that you could have almost any elleth you want in Mirkwood, but your daddy won't let you?"

"That is not what I said and you know it."

"I don't see you denying it." Before he had the chance to respond, I get up and walk away with a smug look on my face as I head towards where my Adar's sitting. Oh yes, today is going to be a good day! At least, I thought it would be until I saw Éowyn kneeling next to him with wide eyes as though he'd told her the secret of eternal life—everyone knows that you have to be a Time-lord to live forever. She looks up as I approach and makes a feasible excuse before scurrying away.

"Do you know why she's suddenly so nervous around me," Adar questions, gazing up at me suspiciously.

"No idea, maybe she realized you were stuck with someone else."

"Did you give her any help in realizing this?"

"Maybe just a little…."

"Hmm, I'm sure." Smiling, I plop down beside him and rest my head on his shoulder, wrapping my arms around one of his. "This is one of the things I've missed the most," he murmurs to me, resting his head on top of mine," you used to snuggle next to me like this when I would read or sing to you—it always seemed to calm you down." I look up at him, wishing I could actually remember the things he was talking about. "I love you, Lariel."

"I love you too, Adar," I whisper, closing my eyes and beginning to dream, or maybe I was remembering things from long ago.

_"Adar, what's going on," I ask, beginning to get scared as Adar, holding me tightly in his arms, runs through the forest of Mirkwood towards the meadow we often visit._

_"Bad people are attacking Mirkwood and want to hurt us and I have to get you out of here," Adar explains. We fall into silence, my face buried in the crook of his neck. Sounds of battle are all around us, worsening my fears; I hope Legolas and Haldir are okay! I only glanced behind us once, and once was more than enough for me; Orcs were chasing after us, their faces twisted with hate and rage. After what seems like hours of running, Adar finally stops in front of a glittering portal._

_"Ada, why do I have to leave," I ask, close to tears. I have a feeling he won't be coming with me._

_"So you'll be safe."_

_"Why won't you go with me?"_

_"The farther away you are from me, the safer you'll be." I can see the pain in his eyes as he says this._

_"So send me to Lothlorien or Rivendell!"_

_"I can't Lariel." I pout and hug my father. He puts a necklace on me; there's a green leaf with the words Sedho Du inscribed on the leaf in gold lettering. "I love you, sweetheart."_

_"I love you too, Adar!" He gently pushes me forward through a portal into blackness._

* * *

><p>I ride next to Legolas, thinking back on the days when I was just a simple college student that spent most of her time inside watching Doctor Who and reading Fanfiction with my Aussie Shepard Lab mix laying on my feet. Nothing exciting ever really happened because Kharl had me watching over his wife and son while he was away and sent us checks weekly; one for bills and food and the other to blow on whatever we wanted, plus we had my check from working at Hastings, but most of mine went towards college fees. I'm snapped out of my thoughts instantly when Gamling, one of the men scouting ahead of us, shouts, "Warg!"

"Go warn the others," Legolas commands, readying to shoot an arrow ready to be fired," go!" I dig my heels into Thalion's sides and the horse takes off at a gallop towards where the rest of the people were, stopping on a hill.

"We're under attack," I shout," There are Wargs and Orcs!" Adar motions for me to come to him and Théoden and I nod that I understand.

"Help Éowyn calm the people down and get them to Helm's Deep," he tells me, urging me not to argue.

"I'm not helpless, I can help you!"

"The people need Éowyn calm, they see her as their leader and you need to keep each other calm."

"_Or_," I hiss," I can go with you and kick some ass!"

"Do what I say, Larien." I nod reluctantly, hugging him as well as I could on a horse before riding off to find Éowyn.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~AFTER THE BATTLE~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

"Make way for the king," Gamling shouts as the people of Rohan quickly back up as the soldiers ride in. Without thinking, I rush forward into the crowd as the men begin to dismount, searching for three faces in particular and only finding one.

"Elf-boy," I yell, sprinting over to him and pulling him into a tight hug that he gladly returns. "I'm so glad you're okay, I was worried that—"I stop talking when I notice his grim expression. "What, what is it; what happened?" He bows his head, taking one of my hands in his larger ones and when he lets go I see a familiar necklace, one that Andi had never taken off since she got it at sixteen: A little, silver heart on a silver chain that said _Happy Sixteenth_. The last time I saw the necklace it had been around my Adar's neck. "No," I whimper, shaking my head as my eyes quickly fill with tears.

"I'm sorry, Larien." My knees buckle underneath me and Leggy manages to catch me before I hit the hard stone, picking me up and carrying me through the crowd as I cry, my head buried in the crook of his neck.

"It's not fair," I sob," I just got him back!" A guard points Legolas in the direction of my room and when we get there he collapses next to me on the bed, holding me close a I continue to sob hysterically. Adar was dead, Andi was on her way to the most dangerous place in Middle-earth, and Kharl was who-knows-where—I had no one really familiar to comfort me when I needed it most except for the Elf I used to hate.

I'm alone.

**Yeah, so I just realized I've been spelling 'Father' wrong in Elvish this whole time; it's Adar and not Ada, sorry for the mix-up.**


	17. The Captain of Gondor

**Once I figure out a way to do it, I'm going to murder Writer's Block and soak it in some acid! Sorry if this chapter is horrible, but I'm doin' the best I can with what my side-tracked muse will give me...Right after I eat my Honey Bun.**

~Kharl's Point of View~

Using my pocket-knife, I clean the dirt and blood out from under my fingernails, whistling the Bare Necessities and bobbing my head along to the rhythm. "Look," Pippin says, pointing," There's smoke to the South."

Treebeard lets out a sound like a tree makes when it's shifting in a strong wind. "There is always smoke rising from Isengard these days." Isengard, that's where those Uruk-Hais were planning on taking us—I sit up a little straighter to see what the place looked like: A tall, black tower rose in the middle of barren lands with a black gate surrounding it in a circle. "There was a time when Saruman would walk in my woods, but now he has a mind of metal and wheels." Pippin and Merry climb up next to me to get a better view of the evil place. "He no longer cares for growing things."

Below marches large groups of Uruk-Hai. "What is it?"

"Saruman's army," Merry answers," the war has started." I look on at the scene grimly, grip on my knife tightening until my knuckles are white.

"It's started alright, and Andrea's right in the middle of it."

~Andrea's Point of View~

I gasp for fresh air once the black cloth is untied and pulled off my face, wincing slightly when daylight reaches me as I had grown used to the muffled light. Sam and I are in a cavern with two walls made of rock, in front of us a passageway, and behind us a waterfall that made me desperately need to pee. Men filter in and out with weapons and supplies of all sorts. Bouncing slightly with my knees locked together, I probably looked pitiful when the head guy, Faramir, walks in. So much for my '_I don't need any sympathy from you_' front, now I need his help to find a suitable place to pee without having random guys peeking in at me. "My men tell me you are Orc spies," he says by way of addressing us.

"Spies," Sam shouts in outrage," Now wait just a minute!"

"Well, if you're not spies, then who are you?" _Good question, too bad I don't have a lie you would believe_. Sam looks over at me for help, but I can do nothing except give him a similar one as Faramir sits down in front of us. "Speak."

"We are Hobbits of the Shire; I'm Samwise Gamgee and this is Andrea Tennant."

"You're tall for a Hobbit." I straighten my back, giving him a cool stare.

"You've got delicate features for a man, Daisy," I shoot back, remembering Ash laughing a while back that Daisy had been David Wenham's nickname on set. Faramir's eyes narrow into slits for a brief moment before returning to the indifferent mask.

"Where is your skulking friend?" I don't say anything, not wanting Gollum to drag us into further trouble with any comment he'd say if caught. "That gangrel creature; he had an ill-favored look."

"There wasn't another, your eyes must have been playing tricks on you—you know what they say when you go a long time without a nice f—"Sam slaps a hand over my mouth, blushing. Not as innocent as I thought he was if he knew what I was about to say. Pushing his hand away, I continue speaking in safer territory, well, as safe as it could be. "We left Rivendell with seven people: one was lost in Moria, two were Hobbits, there was a Dwarf, an Elf, another woman, and two men, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and Boromir of Gondor." The mask falls away then, replaced by an expression of surprise and hurt.

"You were friends of Boromir?"

"I guess you could say that, I mean, we talked in camp before I left." Faramir turns away in an attempt to compose himself, slowly turning back round to face Sammy and me.

"It would grieve you then to know that he was dead." My eyes widen when I hear the noise, thinking back to the last time I had seen the large man; right after he had attacked me for the Ring and a little before the Uruk-Hai attack. "Surely you can tell me how he died."

"No clue, I must have left before then to...To make good on a promise I made."

"His horn washed up on the riverbank about six days past; it was cloven in two. But more than this, I know it in my heart... He was my brother." Faramir stands, giving us one last look before quickly making his leave.

"I can't believe Boromir's dead," Sam says, staring down at the ground in shock.

"I can." Standing, I walk through the cavern until I find an opening that leads outside and then I find a nearby bush to relieve myself behind before sneaking back inside so that I wouldn't be caught.

* * *

><p>I'm brought out of my light slumber by footsteps, my eyes landing on three pairs of boots—one of which belong to Faramir and the other two belonging to the Rangers meant to be keeping guard so that Sammy and I can't sneak out anymore. "You must come with me," Faramir demands," now." Mind still foggy from sleep, I stagger to my feet and follow after him, stumbling every now and again (saved from falling completely by the guards or Faramir). We head to the waterfall across the room, standing out of the edge in a way that conceals us but we can see below. Jumping into the pool feed by the water fall is Gollum. "To enter the Forbidden Pool bears the penalty of death," Faramir tells me calmly, as though speaking about the weather. My lips press into a thin line, agitation clear on my face. There are archers on other ledges surrounding the pool, ready to shoot at command.<p>

"Only a coward would have such a defenseless creature slain," I snarl, eyes not leaving Gollum as he climbs onto a rock with a wriggling fish. Indifferent, Faramir raises a hand and the arches pull the bow string back. "Kill him." I turn to face the man. "His death will be on you conscious, not mine—you'll think about it on those sleepless nights, wish you had at least known him as a threat instead of a bargaining chip." Faramir's eyes drop to the ground a moment before meeting mine again, lowering his hand back to his side and the archers lower their bows. "There's a good boy." I turn away from him, walking down the small path that leads down to the pool. "Sméagol, get your scrawny ass over here!"

Sméagol looks up at me like a puppy that's being forced to let go of its favorite toy so it can go to bed for the night. "We must go now," he asks. I give him a_ 'What do you think' _look, one hand resting on my hip. With the fish in his mouth, he slowly begins to move forward—suddenly, one of the Godorian soldiers dart forward and grabs Sméagol, lifting him off the ground. Several of the others rush to help the soldier hold onto Sméagol. Faramir grabs a handful of my shirt and hauls me back up the path to the room Sam and I have been sleeping in, throwing me onto the ground.

"Thank you for your help," he nods, walking out and stationing two other soldiers to guard me. Sam moves to sit next to me, eyeing me warily.

"We need to get out of here," he whispers to me," use the Ring; it can make you invisible and you can sneak out; I'll deal with Faramir."

"And leave you," I hiss back incredulously," do you know what kind of torture Ash would come up with if I did that. 'Sides, you're starting to grow on me." Sam's eyes snap to the waterfall when Faramir enters again, drawing his sword and giving us a dangerous look. Sam jumps up and pulls me to my feet, back pressing against the rough stone of the wall.

"So," Faramir says softly," this is the answer to all the riddles…Here in the wild I have you; a halfling and a woman with a host of men at my call." Faramir raises his sword, resting it at the base of my neck. "The Ring of Power within my grasp." A possessiveness surges within me as Faramir uses his sword to latch onto the chain and lift it out from under my tunic, "A chance for Faramir, Captain of Gondor, to show his quality."

"Or you cowardice," I shout, pushing his sword away and grasping tightly to the ring, its sweet voice whispering tempting things in my ear…All I had to do was remove Faramir from the equation. Shaking the deadly thoughts out of my head I run to a nearby corner and hide as well as I can in it; shaking so hard I can barely stay standing.

'_You can do it,__' the Ring whispers,' just sneak up behind him and snap his neck.' _

"Stop it," Sammy cries out," leave 'er alone! Don't you understand, she's gotta destroy it; that's where we're goin': Into Mordor, to the Mountain of Fire!" Sam falls quiet while another man comes in to talk to Faramir. "Please, it's such a burden, will you not help her?

"Prepare to leave," the Captain commands," the Ring will go to Gondor."


	18. Preparing for Battle

~Ashley's Point of View~

When Legolas burst into my room yelling that my father was alive I nearly threw a pillow at his head, and then I saw my father and decided that he deserved a pillow to the face more. I throw the pillow as hard as I can, narrowly missing my mark and hitting the door instead when Aragorn jerks out of the way and into Leggy, sending them both to the floor in a pile of twisted limbs. "You stupid, reckless, annoying bastard," I shout, getting up and storming over to him, Andi's necklace clenched tightly in one hand. "You're lucky I don't take my foot and ram it so far up your pompous—"

Aragorn places a finger on my lips to silence my tirade before pulling me into a hug. "I'm sorry," he whispers into my hair," I'm so sorry, Lariel." I cling to my Adar, crying softly into his bloodied and torn shirt. "I never meant for that to happen, but I will always find my little girl."

"You better," I sniffle, pulling away to look up at his face. "You look like shit." Legolas snorts at that, plopping down on my bed like he owned the place. "Elf-boy, go get some clean cloth and stuff, Adar needs to be patched up." Nodding, the elf leaves Aragorn and me alone. "So, Leggy said you fell off a cliff; s'pose you look pretty decent for a dead man." He chuckles, sitting down next to me on the small bed with a groan.

"Yes, I suppose I do," he nods with a smile, holding one of my hands in his much larger one. "You don't know how terrible I felt when I sent you away all those years ago, but I knew you'd be raised right and I couldn't risk those Orcs stealing you away from me." I look down at my boots, swinging back in forth just a few inches off the ground. "Larien, you were raised well, weren't you?"

"Yeah, Uncle Bobby did really great after my other parents were killed by some Ghouls—he's the one that taught me how to fight what hides in the dark. Whenever the weather got really bad and we couldn't go outside to play him and I would curl up on his ratty ol' couch and read together, normally it was a book called _Inkheart_ because it was my favorite. God, we must have read that book a hundred times before we had to go buy a new copy." Aragorn smiles sadly at that, looking down at our hands. "Something always felt wrong about that world, though," I muse," there was always something missing. I just thought that it was because I didn't have my parents anymore, then I thought it was because I killed monsters the way normal people kill spiders. When I came here I finally felt that nagging feeling go away and when I saw you I felt completed somehow."

"I felt the same way when you were gone." I glance up at him, tightening my hold on his hand.

"Well, now all we have to worry about is getting the blonde back here so we can really be one big, happy family."

* * *

><p>Leggy, Gimli, Adar, and I follow after Gamling and Théoden on the battlements, coming to a stop just outside the main gate. "I want every man and strong lad able to bear arms to be ready to battle by nightfall," the King tells Gamling. The soldier nods and hurries off to do what he was told, nodding at me and my companions. "We will cover the causeway and the gate from above. No army has ever breached the Deeping Wall or set foot inside the Hornburg." I roll my eyes skyward, watching as dark clouds begin amassing in the distance and steadily growing closer. It would storm tonight; the air was heavy with humidity and smelled of rain.<p>

"This is no rabble if mindless Orcs," Gimli remarks," these are Uruk-Hai. Their armor is thick and their shields are broad."

Théoden takes on a proud stance—you know the one they get when proving how manly they are and failing just a little later. "I have fought many wars, Master Dwarf. I know how to defend my own Keep." He turns on his heel and stalks off with Aragorn and Leggy trailing after him.

"That man," I start pointing after the too proud King," is going to get a lot of people slaughtered if he don't pull his fat head out of his ass." Gimli grumbles in agreement, patting my arm.

"I agree, Lass," he nods," whatever that was you said, I agree. We'd better catch up and see just how fool-hardy Théoden is." When we manage to catch up with the others we're back on the battlements that overlook the flat plains. There's grass in all directions and it looks a lot like how I pictured the grasslands that the Dothraki rode through in Game of Thrones.

"They will break upon this fortress like water on rock," says Théoden," Saruman's hordes will pillage and burn. We've seen it before. Crops can be re-sown; homes rebuilt. Within these walls, we will outlast them." Oh please, your ass will be dead by morning at this rate.

"They do not come to destroy Rohan's crops or villages," Adar tells him quietly. "They come to destroy its people down to the last child." Théoden turns on Aragorn, angry and shaking.

"What would you have me do," he hisses," look at my men. Their courage hangs by a thread. If this is to be out end, then I would have them make such an end as to be worthy of remembrance." With one last huff, he storms away, the rest of us chasing after him again.

"Send out riders, my lord; you must call for aid."

"And who will come? Elves? Dwarves? We are not so lucky in our friends as you. The old alliances are dead."

"Gondor will answer."

"Gondor?!" Théoden is furious now and struggle to keep his voice low so that none but us could hear him. "Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell? Where was Gondor when our enemies closed in around us?! Where was Gon—"He stops, taking a couple of deep, calming breaths before continuing. "No, my lord Aragorn…We are alone." He turns away again and we let him go, not bothering to chase after him.

"If he doesn't straighten out, nothing will save us," I grumble, glaring after the blonde man—a glare I'd picked up from Andrea that would kill if it were possible. "Well, see y'all in hell." I walk off to my room, planning on using the iPod I found in the woods before we went up that damn mountain. It'd been kept off and hidden in my bra, so it should still have a little bit of battery left and I could use a healthy dose of Evanescence.

~Kharl's Point of View~

"The Ents have not troubled about the wars of Men and Wizards for a very long time," Treebeard tells the Hobbits and me, stepping into a wide clearing and stopping. "But now, something is about to happen that has not happened for an age...Entmoot." I nod along in disinterest moving my knife this way and that, watching as the sunlight reflects off the blade.

"What's that," Merry asks.

"'Tis a gathering."

"A gathering of what?"

A noise behind us makes Treebeard turn around and look in his usually slow manner. Other Ents walk into the clearing towards Treebeard. "Beech, Oak, Chestnut, Ash; good, good, good...Many have come. Now we must decide if the Ents will go to war." Merry, Pip, and I share a look of fear and anticipation; ready to fight and help our friends but the crushing fear of death making us hesitate.

~Ashley's Point of View~

I follow Adar and Leggy around Helm's Deep, nose buried in an old book that I'd managed to find in Théoden's study; a boring, uninteresting book about boring, uninteresting things. Legolas continually moved me out of people's way as he helped Adar make arrangements that King jackass was "too busy" to handle. He's just a lazy bastard that's too proud to really do anything, that's what I think. My attention is drawn away from the book when I hear a child's small cry—one that can only belong to an infant. I move away from the guys, following the sound until I find the baby; abandoned and laying on the side of a path.

Anger bursts in me as I pick up the little girl, looking around for the piece of trash that left her. If I find whoever did this, I'll put my boot up their ass! Shaking my head, I make my way through the crowd of people to a slightly quieter spot, rocking the infant gently in my arms and humming a soothing lullaby that Uncle Bobby used to hum to me when I didn't feel good. "I'll be alright, little one." One of small hands reach up and grab hold of my dress. She was still a little fussy, but nowhere near as pissed off as she was before I found her. "Come on, Sweetie, let's go inside and get you a clean diaper." Smiling, I continue to talk to her in a quiet voice as I headed into Helm's Deep; the baby cooing the entire way.

"Lariel," Adar asks in confusion when he spots me again," whose child is that you've got?" I shrug, walking over to him so he can get a good look at the baby. "She's certainly young, why do you have her?"

"Someone left her lying on the ground; when I found her she was screaming her head off," I answer, still smiling at the little baby. "It's been so long since I've held a baby this small, I kind of missed it." The baby giggles, her wide green eyes full of innocence that you could only find in a child. "I was going to change her pants, she smells pretty ripe." I look up at Adar, noticing that he wasn't even listening anymore, his eyes distant as he recalls some memory. With a sly grin, I place the baby in his arms. "But since you're here, clearly it is fate that you should do the honors; I'll be in the courtyard when you're finished, daddy."

**LATER THAT NIGHT...**

After finding the baby's frantic mother and giving her a piece of my mind, little Braylla was taken down into the caves where she would hopefully be safe. Slowly, men (young and old) and boys begin to come out of the caves, being fitted with useless armor and weapons. "Farmers, farriers, stable boys; these are no soldiers," Adar frowns, throwing a dull sword back onto the pile.

"Most have seen too many winters," Gimli shrugs.

"Or too few," Legolas adds, looking at me and silently urging for me to join the other women in the caves. I raise my chin proudly, left hand resting on the hilt of my short sword. "Look at them, they're frightened. I can see it in their eyes." The people within hearing range turn to look at the Elf and he turns away angrily. "Boe a hûn…neled herain…dan caer menig!" **(1) **Aragorn looks over at his friends with little confidence.

"Si beriathar hýn. Amar nâ ned Edoras." **(2)**

"Aragorn, Men i ndagor. Hýn û—…Ortheri. Natha daged aen!" **(3)** Aragorn's temper gets the better of him at that.

"Then I shall die as one of them," he shouts, walking away from us. Legolas tries to go after him, but Gimli holds him back with a hand on his arm.

"Let him calm down," I tell the Elf," or he'll do something he'll regret later."

**1) ****And they should be…three hundred…against ten thousand**

**2) ****They have more hope of defending themselves here than at Edoras**

**3) ****Aragorn, we are warriors. They cannot win this fight. They are all going to die**


	19. The Battle of Helm's Deep

~Kharl's Point of View~

Pippin and I lay back against a giant root, watching as Merry paces back and forth...back and forth...back and forth. If he keeps that up for much longer he'll wear a hole in the ground. "It's been going on forever," the impatient Hobbit comments, continuing to pace. Pippin and I share a bored look before Pip gets up and walks over to his cousin.

"They must have decided something by now."

Treebeard dashes any hopes we had when he turns around and shakes his head saying," Decided? No. We only just finished saying...Good morning." The Ent turns back to his kind with a smile that I'd love nothing more than smack off.

"Can't you hurry this along," I ask irritably," we don't have time for slow speaking; my sister is out there for God's sakes!"

"Don't be hasty." Treebeard turns back to the others again after sending me a scolding look. I'm gonna go nuts listening to these stupid trees if they don't hurry the hell up

~Ashley's Point of View~

I pull on a shirt of chain mail, wincing as some of my hair gets snagged on it and causes me to keep my head tilted to the left until I could find help. Carefully waddling through the armory, I find Adar and Leggy smiling at each other. "That looks like a real lovey-dovey scene ya got goin' on, but I need a little assistance; preferably from Leggy 'cause he's more hair obsessed than Andrea on one of her dates." Leggy chuckles, extracting my hair from the metal as carefully as if he were performing brain surgery. "Thanks," I sigh, rubbing my now aching head," I thought I might have to go into battle like that." Gimli walks into the room next, letting go of the chain mail shirt he was to wear. Boy, and I thought I had it bad; mine stopped around my knees, but Gimli's fell right to the floor. Adar, Leggy, and I give the Dwarf amused looks, on the verge of laughing.

"If we had time, I'd get this adjusted," he grumbles self-consciously. "It's a little tight across the chest.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's the only problem." He raises one bushy eyebrow at me, looking down at the end on my shirt. "Don't give me that look, Bubblebutt." Just then, a horn sounds and a couple of butterflies began a cage match in my stomach. God, is this the start? Could the Uruk-Hai be here so soon?

"That is no Orc horn," Legolas remarks curiously. Thank God, I nearly had a full out panic attack. Leggy and Adar run out of the Armory with Gimli and I stumbling after them, weighed down by the layers of clothes and weapons. When I finally get to the others, an army of Elves were standing just inside, Haldir at their head dressed in silver armor and a red cape.

"We come to honor that allegiance," Haldir says, smiling up at me. My rag-tag group rushes down the stairs to welcome the Elves.

"Mae govannen, Haldir," Aragorn says, pulling Haldir into a tight embrace that spoke of friendship. I push Adar out of my way, jumping up in Haldir's arms and kissing him, my legs wrapped tightly around his waist as his strong arms support me.

"Mm, I also came because I missed that," he smirks, his forehead pressing against mine. I mumble in agreement, placing another, lighter, kiss on his lips.

"'Bout damn time you showed up." He chuckles, setting me back down on my feet and taking in what I was wearing with an irritated glance. "Say anything 'bout me not fighting and I'll knock you on your ass." Haldir holds up his hands in a gesture of surrender, nodding and sending Aragorn a look. The Elves behind him turn to face us now for Théoden's inspection; Haldir gives the horse lord a respectful bow.

"We are proud to fight alongside Men once more." His eyes meet mine again, blue clashing with brown with mischief sparking in them both, "Even if one of those Men is a woman in disguise." Aragorn smiles, placing a hand on my shoulder and squeezing lightly. "I suppose you tried to talk her out of this."

"Yes, we all did, and we were turned down very adamantly," Leggy nods, rubbing the back of his head where I'd Gibbs slapped him earlier," And very painfully." I give my Elf a smug look, arms crossed over my chest as I bounce lightly on the balls of my feet. I couldn't stand still for crap, but the fact that adrenaline was already coursing through me made it all the more difficult. "She's as hard headed as her father is with the added bonus of her mother's sarcasm." Aragorn rolls his eyes, pulling me close to him in a hug.

"It is not too late to join the other women," he mumbles into my hair.

"And miss out on all the fun," I ask nervously," I don't think so, Old Man." And with that, we all left for our posts on the battlements; rain beginning to pour down on us from above as though God were sending us an omen to surrender. This would be a helluva battle, but I refuse to give up without a fight! Across the plains marches the Uruk-Hai army, lit torches barely visible and flickering in the heavy downfall. As always before a battle, nausea threatened to make me lose what little lunch I had consumed, and those cage fighting butterflies had transformed into a pair of angry mamma bears that just got poked with a ten foot pole.

"You could have picked a better spot," Gimli mutters, helmet barely showing over the wall that came up to my belly button. Leggy and I share a smirk, turning to face Adar when he approaches and stands beside us. "Well, Lad, whatever luck you live by, let's hope it lasts the night." Lightning flashes and illuminates everything, including the advancing army that seems to be about the size of a small town in Oklahoma. Freakin' fantastic, that's exactly what we needed.

"You're friends are with you, Aragorn," Legolas tells Adar.

"Let's hope _they_ last the night." I step on Gimli's foot, twisting my heel to make it hurt worse so that the Dwarf might get the hint to shut his fat mouth. An Orc climbs onto a large rock in the middle of the army, yelling something in the Dark speech.

"A eruchîn, û-dano i faelas a hyn...an uben tanatha le faelas," Adar shouts to the elven archers standing at his command.**(1) **The Uruk-Hai come to a Halt, waiting for the inevitable war that would follow.

"What's happening out there," Gimli asks, jumping up and down in an attempt to see.

"Shall I describe it for you," Legolas asks with a grin," or would you like me to find you a box?" Gimli laughs at that and I smile, jumping from foot to foot, hands relaxed at my sides. I was supposed to fling as many enemies as I could away from the battlements, using my short sword only when necessary. A Uruk roars and the others begin to band their spears on the ground in an attempt to frighten us; apparently it worked a little because one archer loosed an arrow and killed one of the Uruk-Hai. That's how the battle started; the biggest fight of my life-the Uruk-Hai charge forward as everyone readies themselves to fight. Unconsciously, my left hand drops down to the hilt of _Linte_.

I turn to look at Haldir with a grim expression," Faeg i-varv dîn na lanc...a nu ranc."**(2) **He nods in understanding, relaying the message to Elves he's in charge of. After a command from Adar, the archers release their arrows, the sky growing darker for a moment as the arrows rain down on the Uruk-Hais. Every time one Uruk was brought down, another took its place and they kept advancing to the wall. "You ready for this?"

"I'd be more ready if I could see," Gimli grumbles, holding his battle axe tightly in both of his hands. I snort, looking down as the Uruk archers send a volley of their own, one arrow nicking my sword arm. Wincing slightly, I push the small wound to the back of my mind. Ladders were being propped up along the wall like a welcoming mat for the Uruk-Hais.

"Ladders," Adar shouts to all who could hear him.

"Good!"

"Swords, swords!" One after another, the Uruk-Hais flood over the wall with weapons drawn. I don't even really have to focus anymore in order to fling the first one that comes at me back over the wall and onto some of his buddies below.

"Let's go, bitches," I yell, flinging another one against a wall hard enough to snap its neck," I can do this shit all day!"

~Kharl's Point of View~

Pippin's pacing now while Merry stands still, and I impatiently tap on my leg; all of us waiting for Treebeard's answer on whether or not the Ents would fight with us. "Merry, Kharl," Pippin calls when Treebeard turns away from his kin.

"We have just agreed," Treebeard says slowly, bowing his head and closing his eyes.

"Wake up," I shout, hitting the Ent lightly. He shakes himself slightly, looking around and slowly remembering what he'd tried to say just seconds ago.

"I have told your names to the Entmoot and we have agreed...You are not Orcs." Anger begins to course through me at his answer, ready to start throwing things if it meant I'd get some real answers from the sons of bitches.

"Well," Pippin says haltingly," that's good news.

"And what about Saruman," Merry asks impatiently," Have you come to a decision about him?!" Treebeard straighten up, waiving off Merry's question with the usual _don't be hasty _response.

"Our friends are out there," I shout, past my breaking point of shit I can take," my sister is fighting a war she doesn't even belong in and you have the nerve to tell me not to be hasty?! They need help to win this and you're our last hope of getting there at this point, so figure this shit out before I turn you all into firewood!"

"Don't be hasty," Treebeard says again, turning and resuming the discussion with the other Ents while Pippin, Merry, and I are pushed off to the side to wait impatiently once more. I'll show him how hasty I can be, by God, just let me get my hands of an axe and I'll use these worthless Ents to burn Saruman out of his precious tower and then snap his worthless neck with my bare hands!

~Ashley's Point of View~

I continue flinging any and all Uruk-Hais away that come near me, beginning to tire from the exertion. A sudden explosion sends me flying to the ground, hitting the stone hard and driving the air from my lungs. "Ashley," Haldir shouts, pulling me to my feet," Are you alright."

"Been better," I groan, clutching at my stomach," been worse too, so I guess I can't complain." With deep, forced breaths, I continue to fight, pulling out my short sword for a bit of help.

~Kharl's Point of View~

"The Ents cannot hold back this storm," Treebeard tells us solemnly," We must weather such things as we always have done."

"How can that be your answer," Merry asks angrily.

"This is not our war."

"It will be once Saruman moves his army across all of Middle-earth," I snarl," he'll burn your kind happily, then it will be your war and you'll be wishing you'd helped."

"You are all young and brave, but your part in this tale is over. Go back to your homes."

"Kind of hard to go home when I don't have one." I storm away from the Ent, kicking up dirt and clumps of grass as I kick at the ground in anger. This is total bullshit! They'll be begging for help in the end when they're burning at the hands of Saruman, nothing more than kindling to keep his room warm! Lousy, pieces of shit! Merry joins me, angrily pulling on his coat with Pippin right behind him.

"Maybe Treebeard's right," Pippin says softly. We don't belong here; it's too big for us. What can we do in the end? We've got the Shire; maybe we should go home."

"I don't have anything here, Pip," I grumble.

"The fires of Isengard will spread and the woods of Tuckborough and Buckland will burn. And...And all that was once green and good in this world will be gone," Merry explains to his cousin. "There won't be a Shire, Pippin."

~Ashley's Point of View~

Haldir and I fight back to back, taking down Uruk after Uruk without seeming to even stem the flow of them coming at us. There are too many and we wouldn't be able to survive this the way we were going. "To the keep!" I look up at my Adar's faint voice, nodding just as Haldir did. Haldir pushes me out of the way of an oncoming Uruk, taking him down easily only for another to stab him in the arm. As I turn I spot a Uruk-Hai running towards Haldir, makeshift sword raised and ready to strike. Glaring, I levitate the bastard before he has a chance to do any more devastating harm to anyone. "You done fucked up you twisted, little weasel," I growl threateningly," I just got him back!" With that, I fling the Uruk-Hai backwards over the edge of Helm's Deep; I grab onto Haldir's armor and drag him backwards in retreat, Aragorn finding me when I was halfway there and helping me drag him inside.

I collapse next to him on the stone floor, immediately checking for a pulse and laughing breathlessly when I find it. It was strong; he'd just passed out from the wound. "HE'S ALIVE," I shout, throwing my head back and sounding a lot like Victor Frankenstein.

"Take him as far from this as you can," Aragorn instructs, fighting off a rogue Uruk-Hai," tend to his arm and try to get him awake."

"You got it," I nod, once again dragging Haldir until the sounds of battle had faded a little. "It's gonna be alright, just hang on for me." I tear pieces of my shirt to tie on his upper arm and staunch the bleeding. "You're gonna pull through this and them I'm gonna kick your ass for making me worry like this." I get no response from Haldir, my eyes starting to sting as tears form and fall down my cheeks. "We'll be fine, everybody will be fine."

**1) Show them no mercy…for you shall receive none!**

**2) Their armor is weak at the neck and underneath the arms.**

**I really hated switching between Kharl and Ashley so many times this chapter, but it couldn't really be helped because that's how it goes in the movie.**


	20. Pissed off Ents and Nazgûl

~Kharl's Point of View~

Treebeard walks through the forest at a languid pace; Pip, Merry, and me lounging in his branches with dejected looks on our faces. "I will leave you at the western borders of the forest," Treebeard informs us. "From there you can make your way north to your homeland." The Hobbits and I say nothing, rage burning just under the surface.

"Wait," Pippin shouts with a gleam in his eyes," Stop! Stop!" Merry and I give Pip curious looks as Treebeard comes to a stop. "Turn around; turn around and take us south!"

"South takes us past Isengard," I point out with a raised brow.

"Yes, exactly; if we go south we can slip past Saruman unnoticed. The closer we are to danger, the further we are from harm—it's the last thing he'll expect." Astonished, I nod slowly at the plan and wished we'd come up with it sooner.

"I hate to say it, but Pip's right; that'll be the best way to do things if we want even the slimmest chance of stayin' alive." Treebeard gives a slow nod, turning and starting back towards Isengard.

"Are you both mad," Merry asks," We'll be caught."

"No we won't," Pippin assures him," not this time."

~Andrea's Point of View~

I stand near Faramir atop a ridge, observing a town that has smoke billowing from all over; Osgiliath, and then Minas Tirith, and if we don't stop Saruman and his big bad boss man, the whole of Middle-earth. "Osgiliath burns," one Ranger shouts.

"Mordor has come," say another.

"This Ring will only cause more destruction and harm," I say to Faramir," do you really want to see more of your people die because of your selfishness?" I can see the hesitation in Faramir's face for a split second before he gestures for his men to move forward into the city. Sam and I are pushed forward and forced to move. "Faramir," I yell," you'll kill everyone like this! Let me go!"

~Kharl's Point of View~

"...And a little family of field mice that climb up sometimes, and they tickle me awfully. They're always trying to get somewhere where they..." Treebeard trails off, a horrified expression on his face as he looks upon burned and broken trees—or what's left of them, anyway. "Many of these trees were my friends," he says in a choked voice. "Creatures I had known from nut and acorn."

"I'm sorry, Treebeard," Pippin murmurs softly.

"They had voices of their own." All eyes are drawn to Isengard, where no trees now stand as they used to, just ashes and smoke. Treebeard begins to shake in fury. "A Wizard should know better!" He lets out a loud roar, throwing his head back; all faster than he ever moved before. "There is no curse in Elvish, Entish, or the tongues of Men for this treachery." A similar roars had Treebeard's comes from the forest behind us.

"Look," Pippin calls," the trees, they're moving!" Sure enough, the border of Fangorn begins to move, roars and howls filling the air with their sounds or anger and anguish.

"Where are they going," Merry asks just as I begin to grin wickedly in realization.

"To get revenge against the old Wizard," I answer in a deathly calm voice, pulling out my little pocket knife. Dozens of Ents pour out of the forest, ready to follow Treebeard into a war all their own, starting down the slope.

"Come my friends," Treebeard commands," The Ents are going to war. It is likely that we go to our doom; last march of the Ents!" Saruman, here we come!

~Andrea's Point of View~

Soldiers are running all around Osgiliath in an attempt to defend it as our company passes by, heading for an officer. "Faramir, Orcs have taken the eastern shore," Madril informs his Captain. "Their numbers are too great; by nightfall we will be overrun." Nausea crashes into me like a wave, a sure sign that the Eye is nearly upon me.

"Andi," Sam says in a slightly panicked voice when he sees the sick look on my face.

"It's the Ring, Sammy; sendin' signals to the Eye." A shrill cry from above drowns out whatever Sam said next, and horror becomes nearly overwhelming when I realize what creature makes that type of noise.

"Take them to my father," Faramir demands in a proud voice," Tell him Faramir sends a mighty gift—a weapon that will change our fortunes in this war." Sam breaks away from the person holding onto him.

"You want to know what happened to Boromir?!" Faramir looks at him with such intensity that even I flinch away. "You want to know why your brother died? He tried to take the Ring from Andi! After swearing an oath of protection, he tried to kill her; the Ring drove your brother mad!" Faramir doesn't get the chance to respond before another cry is heard. A huge boulder smashes into a tower, making both crumble. Dizziness hits me next, my eyes rolling in the back of my head as I look up at the skies. "Andrea?"

"They're here," I tell him faintly, foam forming at the corners of my mouth like a rabid dog. "They've come." Another shrill cry sounds and all follow my gaze up to the sky.

"Nazgûl," Faramir yells in warning. I stare up at the Nazgûl in fascination until I'm grabbed and drug away by Faramir into a ruined tower. "Stay here, keep out of sight." Sam rushes to my side, screeching filling the air along with the screams of men.

**Memorizing a poem is harder than I thought it would be when my speech/drama teacher assigned it...Anyway, here's the latest chapter and I hope you like it even though it's so short. Next chapter brings us back to Helm's Deep and Ashley. R&R! ~Ashley**


	21. Good Fighting Evil

**Just a heads up, the italicized words that don't seem to make any sense are going to be Sammy's Voice overs in the scenes that don't show him.**

~Ashley's Point of View~

I squeeze my eyes shut, holding tightly to Haldir as the sounds of battle reach us in our little nook. I should be out there fighting, but someone needs to keep pressure on Haldir's wound so that he doesn't bleed out and I don't see anyone around willing to do that right now. The deep sound of a horn echoes through Helm's Deep and I wonder just whose horn it is; surely not more Uruk-Hai? The horn blares continuously and it's then I recognize the sound, it's the horn for Rohan. What the hell are they doing now—putting together a freaking band? Shaking, I hold the unconscious Elf closer to me. This is gonna be a nerve-racking wait.

~Kharl's Point of View~

The Ents are fighting their hardest, throwing large rocks and smashing Orcs with their feet—Orcs fighting and falling so quickly it was hard to keep up with all of the action. All the stone and iron that Saruman has worked to build is being torn down as revenge for decimating the Ent population (even if not completely knowingly). "Break the dam," Treebeard calls out," Release the river!" And the others do just that, water rushing in quickly and washing away the filthy Orcs and much of Saruman's creations. The Hobbits and I cling tightly to Treebeard so as not to join the Orcs in a slow, watery death. "Hold on little Hobbits!" When the gush of water hits the Ents, they stand their ground and don't budge an inch; as though the water had no effect on them.

Water flood Isengard, filling the mines and caverns, destroying bridges and forges—only Team Ent and those inside Saruman's tower make it through alive. "Damn," I gasp," that's some serious anger issues."

~Andrea's Point of View~

As though in a trance, I walk out of the crumbling tower, aware of my actions and unable to stop them as though trapped in my mind. "What are you doing?" I pay Sam no attention, continuing to move out into the open with Sam rushing out after me. _Stop,_ I want to shout_, get back to safety so you don't get yourself killed or worse, expelled! _"Where are you going?" Stopping atop a high wall, I hold up the Ring. Above me, a Nazgûl is preparing to strike. Suddenly, I'm tumbling to the ground, fighting with Sam for the Ring and mentally fighting to have full control back as we fall down stairs. On solid ground, I pin Sam down and draw my borrowed sword, holding it at Sam's neck. Even as the little Hobbit started to cry, nasty thoughts of betrayal kept swirling around inside my head. "It's me. It's your Sammy; don't you know your Sammy?"

Slowly I regain control and allow myself to fall against a wall and slide to the ground, my sword falling to the ground. I nearly killed one of my closest companions as because of a piece of jealousy and that dark voice that's constantly speaking in the back of my mind—evil, dirty words. "I can't do this," I whisper in a broken voice, staring at the ground in shame.

"I know, it's all wrong—by rights we shouldn't even be here." He pulls himself to his feet, stumbling slightly and leaning against my wall. "But we are. It's like in those great stories, Andi. The ones that really mattered; full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy?" _Sounds like something from Harry Potter_. "How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?"

~Ashley's Point of View~

"Victory," Théoden shouts to his men," We have victory!" Uruk-Hai run for the hills and I can't help but to smile; even though I may not have done much, I was still proud to have done something and knowing that I kept Haldir alive certainly counts as something dammit.

_"But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow."_

Aragorn looks at me in relief, pulling me close to him in a hug that says all that he can't possibly find words for—it says he loves me.

~Kharl's Point of View~

The water continues to flow; taking Saruman's evil with it in the process while the Ents are busy chasing away the few Orcs that survived.

_"Even darkness must pass. A new day will come."_

Merry, Pippin, and I watch in wonder from Treebeard's branches.

_"And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."_

The Ents stand tall and proud as the water flows past them, Saruman giving us one last glare before retreating from his balcony and into his tower. The waters rise until they fill up all of Saruman's grounds, reaching the very edge of the huge, circle of a gate that surrounds this place.

_"Those were the stories that stayed with you…that meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why, but I think, Andi, I do understand. I know now."_

~Andrea's Point of View~

"Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something."

"And what are we holding onto, Sammy," I ask skeptically.

Determined, Sam hauls me to my feet. "I'm holding onto the Shire and my family and friends," he states," And you're holding on for Mister Aragorn and those two friends of yours you came here with. There's still good left in this world—you know our friends are fighting for it and we will too." I smile at him, picturing Ashley's and Kharl's grinning faces on Kharl's birthday last year when we all gathered at the movies to watch the new Thor movie. He's right; I need to keep going so that the good people in this world have a chance to live.

Sam stiffens when Faramir approaches and fury courses through me when he has the gull to kneel down so he's closer to mine and Sam's heights. That's just freaking rude. "I think at last we understand one another, Andrea Tennant," the Captain tells me before standing and turning to face Madril.

"You know the laws of our country," the other man tells Faramir grimly," the laws of your father. If you let them go, your life will be forfeit."

"Then it is forfeit; release them." Out of pity because I liked the dude when he played in Van Helsing, I take Sam's dagger and press it against Madril's leg.

"If you tell Daisy's daddy the truth, you'll be doing it without the head you're used to thinking with," I threaten with a deceptively sweet smile. "You'll tell him we managed to escape while Faramir was defending Osgiliath and our guard was eaten by a Fellbeast, understand?"

"Y-yes, my lady," he stutters, trying not to move too much.

"Good man; so long, Captain. Go do whatever it is you feel destined to do and be good at it; and tell your dear old dad to fuck off once in a while." I give him a mock salute, clapping Sam on the shoulder as signal to get moving before we get ourselves killed too early.

~Ashley's Point of View~

I quietly enter the room Haldir was brought to after the battle had ended, dismissing the healer to watch over him myself. Sitting on the bed with my back against the cold stone of the wall, I lay Haldir's head in my lap and brush my fingers through his thick, white hair. Though he hadn't suffered any terrible wounds like others had, the healers wanted to keep him asleep and force him to rest. "You scared me in the battle," I tell him," I thought you would be killed by that Uruk-Hai and so I did all that I could to keep that from happening. You're still an ass though for scaring me in the first place."

I laugh softly to myself, wondering if he could hear me or not. I stare down at his peaceful face, free from worry and stress—the pale skin smooth and soft to the touch. "_I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'd never let you go_," I sing, leaning my head back and closing my eyes," _When all those shadows almost killed your light. I remember you said 'Don't leave me here alone.' And all that's dead and gone and passed tonight. Just close your eyes, the sun is going down—you'll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound._"

"You should sing more often." My eyes snap open and I stare down at the elf in amazement for a moment before slapping his bare chest as I hard as I was able. "Ow, what was that for, woman?!"

In a fit of anger I look down at him and shout, "For makin' me worry, you pig-headed jackass!" I roll him off of me and onto the floor, walking out of the room with my chin raised proudly. I leave the room to find Leggy and Gimli—figuring they were outside gloating about who killed more. I was right, they were both sitting on some dead Uruk-Hai, both looking very proud of themselves. Men, they're proud about everything from opening stubborn pickle jars to killing a monster.

"Final count…forty-two," Leggy smirks.

"Forty-two," Gimli asks mockingly. "That's not bad for a pointy-eared Elvish princeling. I myself am sitting pretty on forty-three." Leggy's face drops and he fires an arrow into the Uruk-Hai that Gimli's sitting on, giving the Dwarf quite a start indeed.

"Forty-three," he again smirks, proud once more.

"He was twitching."

"He was twitching because he's got my axe buried in his nervous system!" To prove his point, Gimli wiggles the axe in the Uruk-Hai's head, causing the creatures hands and feet to twitch."

"Men," I smile, plopping down between them," You're always comparing something."

~Kharl's Point of View~

I stand in the thigh deep water with the Hobbits, the three of us looking up at where Wormtongue and Saruman are standing on the balcony sending everyone death glares. "He doesn't look too happy, does he," Merry asks.

"Not too happy at all, Merry," Pippin agrees.

"Ah, come on," I shrug," maybe that's his usual look and he can't help it." After a quick beat I add," Or maybe he's just a dick."

"Still, I suppose the view would be quite nice from up there," Merry quips.

"Oh yes," Pippin smiles," it's a quality establishment. I hear the staff is very good." I chuckle, staring up at Saruman with a smug look. That's for trying to kidnap my sister and I you, bastard. "What are you doing?" I glance at the Hobbits in amusement.

"Nothing, the world's back to normal, that's all."

"No, it isn't; I'm starving." Merry flips over a basket of ruined food before tossing the basket away.

"Good luck trying to find something decent to eat around here; probably dead rats and moldy bread." Scowling, I nod in agreement as my stomach rumbles. When Pippin picks up a perfectly edible apple, my eyes go wide—there's a whole trail of them and the Hobbits and I quickly follow it, picking up all the apples on the way along with a turkey of the cooked variety. It all leads us to a fully stocked storeroom.

"Jackpot," I grin, diving inside and digging through the piles of food. I ignore the Hobbits for a moment, focused on slapping some turkey on bread—along with cheese, and what looks like pineapples. Today is a good day, that's for damn sure!

~Andrea's Point of View~

Sam, Gollum, and I follow Faramir to a water logged tunnel as stealthily as we could. "This is the old sewer," Daisy explains," Runs right under the river through to the edge of the city. You'll find cover in the woods there."

"Captain Faramir," Sam says formally," you have shown your quality, sir; the very highest." Faramir looks shocked at Sammy's words—I don't blame him, Sammy hated his guts right up until he decided to let us go.

"The Shire must really be a great realm, Master Gamgee, where gardeners are held in high honor." Sam, embarrassed by Faramir's kind words, looks away. "What road will you take when you reach the woods?"

"Gollum says there's a path near Minas Morgul that climbs up into the mountains," I answer.

"Cirith Ungol?" Daisy grabs Gollum by his neck and slams him up against the wall. "Is that its name?!"

"No, no," Gollum cries in panic. Daisy tightens his grip. "Yes."

"Andrea," Daisy says desperately," they say a dark terror dwells in the passes above Minas Morgul, you cannot go that way."

"It is the only way. Mistress says we must go to Mordor, so we must try."

"I have to," I tell Faramir, much to his horror. He throws Gollum to the ground in disgust.

"Go, Andrea, go with the goodwill of all Men."

"Thank you." We head into the tunnel, leaving Faramir behind, the only good man besides Aragorn we've encountered thus far.


	22. Hope in the Hands of Hobbits and Women

**This chapter's voice over is by Gandy; this is also the epilogue so it'd be nice to get a review saying if you liked this story or not. ~Ashley**

~Andrea's Point of View~

"_The battle for Helm's Deep is over, the battle for Middle-earth is about to begin. All our hopes now lie with one little Hobbit and a stubborn woman…."_

Sam and I follow Gollum through the woods, my knee beginning to ache.

"…_Somewhere in the wilderness…"_

"I wonder if we'll ever be put into songs or tales," Sam muses.

"What," I laugh.

"I wonder if people will ever say,' Let's hear about Andrea and the Ring.' And they'll say,' Yes, that's one of my favorite stories. Andrea was really courageous, wasn't she, dad?' 'Yes, my lad, the most famousest of Women. And that's saying a lot." Laughing, I turn to face the Hobbit.

"Well, you've left out one of my favorite characters: "Samwise the Brave." Sam's the best part of this story and I demand to hear more about him; the best of the Hobbits." I stop and place a hand lightly in Sammy's, giving it a squeeze of reassurance. "Andrea wouldn't have got this far without Sammy."

"Don't poke fun, I was bein' serious."

"So was I." With another smile, we start walking again.

"Samwise the Brave," I hear him murmur in a dreamy voice and I smile at his boost in confidence. If anyone deserved that, it is Sammy; brave, brave Sammy.

"Gollum," I call out without stopping.

"We're not gonna wait for you, come on!" When we get no response, Sam and I begin to look around for the little guy. I hated to admit it even to myself, but I do feel sympathy for Gollum; he'd been a normal Hobbit until he and his friend found the Ring. I had been a normal woman until I volunteered as tribute to destroy the Ring. "Where is he? Where's he gone? Hey, Gollum, where are you?"

"Gollum?" Gollum jumps out in front of us, making me jerk a little in surprise.

"Come on, Hobbits," he smiles," Long ways to go yet. Sméagol will show you the way." With a shrug, Sam and I follow after Gollum through the thick woods towards our destination.


End file.
